Home to You
by sagittarii
Summary: Natsu returns with the belief that everything would be as it was, only to find Lucy gone. When he finally finds her, he learns of how she has changed and that she has found companionship in the arms of another. "The loneliness he felt during his wandering gripped him firmly, and Natsu finally found himself lost in the place he had always known as home."
1. The Return

**[Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Fairy Tail world, which is trademarked by Hiro Mashima.]**

 **I reached a wall with a scene in** _ **The Darkness Within**_ **. I see what I want, but I'm having a hard time describing it (getting it) on paper. I decided I need another tale to distract me before I start pulling at my own hair. Something angst-filled, despite it being a favourite topic among Fairy Tail fanfiction writers. Shouldn't be too long, but it'll be a few chapters. I'm mostly trying to fill the spaces between chapters, providing a new perspective/twist to the existing story while remaining true to what happened in the manga. Maybe I'll succeed. Maybe I'll fail. But, it'll be a fun journey, yeah? .M.**

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"We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place. We stay there, even though we go away. And, there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there."

\- Pascal Mercier [ _Night Train to Lisbon_ ] -

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 **.01. The Return**

He meandered through the cobblestone streets, slowly and quietly as the citizens of the bustling town moved around him. Covered by the heavily tattered cloak dirtied from his travels, he was ignored easily by those too busy to notice one of their renowned wayward citizens had returned home. With a deep inhalation, he let the scent of Magnolia fill him. The aroma of town life filled his lungs – of fruit, of flowers, and of people. Here, he was home. His feet carried him through the streets as he made his way up the familiar hill. It had taken him longer to get to his destination, the maze of new streets grating at his memory.

Excitement bubbled with anticipation. In his mind, he replayed his return over and over, his imagination vivid enough to fool his senses for a few seconds. He would kick the heavy wooden double doors with his usual gusto, his flames dancing around him, and the noise would pause momentarily before he would be greeted by a resounding cheer. There would be the clattering of mugs, the sloshing of the bubbly libations that would release the distinct thin mist of hops into the air. He would shout out to the frightening redhead to fight him – unless she was eating dessert, no, most definitely not if she was eating dessert – and he would throw a resounding punch at the icy cold, most likely naked, pervy ass of a wizard. Beyond the scuffle that would no doubt be in the center of the vast hall, he would spot the golden hair of his partner and he would throw his muscular arm over her shoulder. She would stutter as pink would flood her cheeks, and she would grin radiantly in his direction. It would be as it always was, only better – because now he was stronger and truly capable of protecting those who were dear to him.

His legs carried him faster up the slope, his excitement fueling the sprint to the top. The energy vanished once he reached the very top of the hill, and he felt his stomach drop in a swirl of emotions he couldn't quite place. His lips thinned with confusion, and he felt his nails dig into his palm as he held his hands in tight fists by his sides.

Quietly, he stood in front of the rubble of stone and mortar in the cavernous pit that was once the towering guild he had called his home. Time had started to heal the destructive scene, with life flowering over and between the hard surfaces of the once proud building. Moss and grass grew over corners of stone and wildflowers littered between the cracks. His eyes glanced left and right as he hoped to find any evidence of the life he had once known. He walked closer towards the debris and stopped to read the ornately carved placard posted. "For Fairy Tail. May their adventures lead them home again," he muttered into the wind.

With a furrowed brow, his fists pulsed steadily, tightening and releasing as he tried to contain the surge of emotions that were raging through him. The hem of his cloak floated on the wind as he kept his feet planted in place as a torrent of confusion and denial began to swirl in his mind. A deep resounding ache began to brew within the pit of his stomach, pumping adrenaline into his limbs. He spun on the balls of his feet, his cloak wrapping around him as he turned abruptly and ran down the gentle slope of the hill. He maneuvered through the streets that were now a confusing labyrinth of familiar and unfamiliar streets as he made his way through town. He ran towards the canal – surely, it would still be there? – knowing that it would lead him to his old sanctuary. His legs carried him swiftly to his destination, and he stopped in front of the pleasant apartment building he had grown to call his second home before his departure. He looked up expectantly, pushing away worry of another disappointment. He crouched low before leaping high into the air to land on the window's ledge and pushed the window open with an excitement of memories still fresh in his mind. His ears prepared for the surprised shriek and his body jerked ready for the powerful kick.

The silence overwhelmed him.

He dropped unceremoniously off the window's ledge, his feet hitting the hard floor instead of the bed that was once located under the window. He walked deeper into the apartment and pulled on the memory of warmth and laughter that once filled the now empty flat. He took a deep breath, hoping to grab at the scent of honey and vanilla, but only the scent of emptiness filled his nostrils. It smelt of wood and carpet, of dust disturbed by his intrusion. Dust particles floated on the still air, lit by the sunshine that filtered through the window behind him. The fragrance of her had long disappeared and all his senses told him what he had already known as soon as he saw guild abandoned – that she had left long ago.

Sighing, he removed the cloak's hood and ran his fingers through the mess of pink hair on his head. He scratched at his skull, trying to remove the irritation that prickled just under his skin. He had returned to nothing. He dropped to the floor and crossed his legs and gripped his knees with his hands. He released a small puff of hot air as he tried to dissipate the gurgling discomfort in the pit of his stomach. They were no longer here. She wasn't here.

He let his eyes drift around the room, and his gaze fell to the open door that led to the bathroom. A small smirk appeared at the corner of his lips. The memory fresh in his mind – of steam billowing from the room as the fair haired celestial wizard clad in a simple towel, with her hair dripping over her shoulders, stepped into her apartment only to screech in indignant surprise at his presence on her soft pink bed. His eyes flickered to the kitchen, where their many meals replayed itself in his mind. He could almost see the empty dishes piled high on the table as she stood nearby, an expression of joy in her eyes despite the line of annoyance that graced her lips. Natsu felt his heart beat skip as the churning in his stomach made him uncomfortable in his own skin.

"Natsu?"

He heard his feline companion land softly next to him, and Natsu turned his head to peer at his friend. The blue of Happy's fur stood out brightly against the monotone colours of the empty apartment. "Guess no one's around, little buddy," he muttered, his tone void of the mirth he had felt before entering the city.

Happy remained quiet, choosing not to say anything about the empty apartment. He finally spoke after several minutes of silence. "Our house is still standing," he paused, hoping Natsu would respond to break his silence, but continued when he didn't. "She cleaned our house."

Natsu couldn't stop the smirk. "That weirdo."

He laughed. "Yeah, it's dusty. But, she definitely cleaned." Happy bit down into his lower lip as soon as he said those words, knowing that Natsu was thinking the same words that he himself was thinking but refused to say – she cleaned _before she left_. Even before leaving Magnolia, she had thought of them. He let the silence linger until he couldn't take it much longer, asking carefully, "What do you want to do?"

Shaking his head, he stood up and covered his head with the hood of his cloak again. "Might as well head out to Crocus for the Grand Magic Games," he told Happy. "Maybe we'll catch someone from the guild there, and they can tell us what happened."

The exceed released his wings and lifted himself up to perch on Natsu's shoulder before willing his white feathers to disappear. "Aye, sir," Happy responded with dull joy.

He moved back onto the window's ledge, turning his head only slightly to look at the empty space one last time before closing the window, and jumped down into the streets. Quietly, Natsu started to wander the streets that were once familiar to him. Time had been kind to Magnolia, and one wouldn't have known of the dark destruction that took place only a year prior had it not been for the signs of heavy construction that was still taking place. He stopped to take in the changes, noting businesses and homes that didn't exist before his departure. His nostrils filled with the smell of paper and baked goods, and he looked up to find himself standing in the middle of the street he no longer recognized, a new bookstore to his left and a small café to his right. The scent reminded him so easily of his partner, though it missed the warmth of her presence and the essence he could only deem to be uniquely _her_. The loneliness he felt during his wandering gripped him firmly, and Natsu finally found himself lost in the place he had always known as home.


	2. The Intruder

**[Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Fairy Tail world, which is trademarked by Hiro Mashima.]**

 **I meant to update much –so much– sooner, but my parents-in-law were here for a visit. I didn't end up having time to sit down in front of my computer like I had planned. Quick responses to a few reviewers as a thank you after the chapter. .M.**

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"I remember it. I do. It's there. I know it is because when I look at you, I can feel it. And- and I look at you, and I'm… I'm home."

\- Dory [ _Finding Nemo_ ] -

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 **.02. The Intruder**

The Crocus of his memory didn't disappoint. It bustled with hectic locals on their way to their respective businesses or homes, curious tourists who stopped at every shop window, and eager mages who chattered amongst themselves about showcasing their powers. Festive pennants and banners were hung between buildings, and they floated on the wind that moved through the labyrinth of streets. The city was alive with colour, scent, and sounds. The air itself vibrated by the sheer density of magic that filled the city as it prepared for the upcoming games.

Natsu blended into the crowd as he followed the tantalizing aroma of roasting chicken, his steps steady as his legs carried him down the cobblestone street. He was so mesmerized by the promise of a filled stomach that he didn't even notice where he was until he looked up to see the ornately carved Honey Bone Lodge plaque hanging above him. His eyes lingered on the sign, thoughts on food replaced by vivid memories. His lips lit his face with a joyful smile. Those were days filled with laughter and adventure. The memories flowed easily – of the droopy-eyed stripper and his nice enough non-girlfriend, of the boisterous drunkard and her challenges, of the knowing smile of the master, and of the peaceful smile that often graced his partner's lips whenever she watched their little family of rowdy misfits. He smirked as the image of him barrel surfing flashed in his mind's eye. It faltered as his stomach churned, his face turning a deepening shade of green as his equilibrium suddenly felt thrown. Natsu shook his head as if to physically remove the thoughts from his brain before the wave of nausea overtook his senses. It settled his stomach only briefly, and he swayed a little.

He took a deep breath, allowing the clean crisp air to fill his lungs to root him to the ground. Focusing above him, his eyes squinted against the brightness of the cloudless sky. He watched as a flock of birds flew overhead, disappearing over the steep rooftop of the inn. There was a brief flash of _that_ memory – of how her body was heavy without life and of how his highly skilled dragon slayer senses could feel the coldness of death claim her warmth. He could still recall how her scent flattened as she exhaled her last breath, how the comforting sweet fragrance transformed to something mortally earthy. Natsu flexed his fists and his canines bit into the side of his mouth as he tried to push the nightmare away.

He gripped the edge of his hood and tugged at the fabric to ensure his head of pink was fully covered before continuing his wandering of the city. He forced the thoughts from his brain, unwilling to relive how he had failed those close to him. Natsu should have known; the signs were there. It smashed into him repeatedly when she was crushed and brutally tossed about like a ragdoll under that behemoth of a man on Tenrou Island. It tried to shock him into action when he helplessly watched her future saved her past during the Grand Magic Games. It was the big blaring alarm, but he had ignored it. He growled softly at his youthful self. Not for the first time, he decided it would be great if he could open the Eclipse Gate just to clobber some sense into his younger self. Natsu clutched at his bandaged arm. Ignorance was bliss, and it had cost him his father.

Lifting his nose, he took another whiff and latched onto the scent of roasting meat. He pushed back against the darkness that overwhelmed him with guilt and sadness, instead choosing to focus on a problem he could tangibly solve. Natsu's nose led him closer to the center of Crocus, a few kilometers from the palace gates. He glanced around, finding himself in the center of another large square surrounded by cafés and intimate restaurants. Small colourful tents were erected around the large fountain that stood in the center of the square, water cascading freely over the carved stone statues. Strolling from tent to tent, his eyes barely glanced at the wares that artisans were selling. He stopped in front of the food vender, his tongue instinctually moistening his lips at the sight of the darkly roasted turkey legs that were piled high at the ready. He tossed the man a few jewels and smacked his lips before taking a large and uncouthly bite. His teeth snapped through the skin and tore into the flesh, and the warm juices dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

Natsu turned, his eyes briefly glancing at the large fountain in the center of the square. There were several people out to enjoy the festivities. There were friends, family, and lovers who meandered throughout the square. His senses overheard some of the conversations, and he filtered them away as mindless chatter. Feeling out of place, he took another bite of his meal before moving to leave. From the corner of his eye, he caught the briefest flash of sun reflecting off golden locks through the gap between the fountain's statues. Natsu's body stopped, as it did every single time he thought he had caught a sight of her during his year away, and his breath stilled as he prepared himself for the disappointment when it proved to be some unknown blonde. He moved slowly towards the flash of gold and lifted his chin up as a breeze from her direction moved towards him. It carried the scent of honey and vanilla and _her_. Natsu let body move on its own accord as he tried desperately to control the bubbling excitement that threatened to overwhelm him. Her fragrance beaconed him, tugged at his senses, and pulled at his limbs to move. He stopped when he could see her, his eyes focusing on the woman sitting on the fountain's ledge. His mouth dropped as he took a sharp inhalation to fill his lungs. He could dissect her fragrance, though it seemed wrapped in something he didn't remember or recognize. The air tasted of Crocus and of her, and unabated excitement and happiness washed away the heaviness of isolation.

A fine mist from the cascading fountain water added a shimmer around her as the droplets were met by sunshine. She sat quietly, her legs crossed at the ankle to one direction and her knees pointed to the other. With her back straight and her shoulders back, she peered down at the leather-bound book on her lap. Her right hand maneuvered the pen in her grasp furiously over the page in elegant swishes. The skirt of her yellow summer dress brushed against the skin of her legs with each light breeze that touched her. A dark brown leather pouch remained firm against her hip, attached to the belt that wrapped around her waist. There was a small smile upon her lips as she wrote. The manic movements of her pen slowed until it stopped, and her nimble fingers began to lightly tap the pen onto the page. She tilted her chin up to the sky, causing her hair to cascade back as the sun kissed her face, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth. Her free hand moved up to place a hand on her bare collarbone to play with the thin golden chain that hung around her neck. The heart-shaped sapphire lined pendent hung just above her abundant chest, which was barely contained by the sweetheart neckline of her dress.

With his feet unwilling or unable to move, Natsu could only stare as she seemed to glow in the bright warmth of the sun. His eyes trailed to the lines of her slender neck, watching as her svelte fingers brushed the loose strands of golden hair behind her ear. His mouth dropped slightly at the movement, and his tongue darted out to moisten his lips. It had been a year since he had felt the softness of her skin, and the urge to brush his fingertips against the pale surface of her arm made his mouth dry. It dawned on Natsu that his memory had failed him. He had always known her to be pretty; one had to be blind not to see. But, were her expressions always so telling, her hair so bright, and her skin so flawless?

He moved towards her, dropping his unfinished turkey leg into the rubbish bin, as he tried to find the words for their reunion. The sight of her filled him with a sense of peace and of home, and he admitted it was a feeling he felt lacking during his solitude – though he chose not to dive too deeply into what it meant. Natsu focused his energy to his ears, blocking out the sounds of their surroundings, and he picked up the soft sound of a melody she was humming to herself. It was sweeping in its measure, slow moving yet steady in its rhythm. He had never heard it, but it soothed him as he made his senses focus on her and her alone. The sound of her vocal chords vibrating, the mere sight of her, and the very scent of her. Oh, the aroma of ink and paper and of honey and vanilla and of sweetness and comfort. Of home. The very fragrance of home.

When she opened her eyes and tilted her head back down to the pages of her book, his body stopped and he hesitated. She bit the inside her cheek as she scribbled down a few last words. She snapped the book closed and wrapped the thin leather binding around the cover and hugged it protectively to her chest as she tucked the pen behind her ear. Smiling as if satisfied, she stood and smoothed the back of her dress and quickly spun on her toes, her skirt wrapping around her legs to outline the curves of her body before unwrapping into a cascading flow. With elegant steps, she moved into the crowd as she walked away from the fountain.

Her disappearing form snapped Natsu back into action, and he followed the sway of her golden hair through the crowd. His eyes watched the flow of her hair as it moved from side to side. She had let it grow during his absence, and Natsu thought it suited her. He quickly noted that she seemed so at home in Crous, her strides carefree and steady as she maneuvered the streets easily. An impish smile slowly spread across his lips to light the mischievous fire in his eyes. Finally settling on a greeting, he began to move faster towards her, his steps quiet as he blended into the crowd that surrounded them. It would be good of him to surprise her; it would teach her to never drop her guard. Natsu surmised she would scream and react in that usual overly dramatic way. She would screech enough to rattle his eardrums until they felt like they were bleeding. He would let her try to beat him senseless for frightening the living daylights out of her – oh he would never be caught unawares by that kick ever again! – and then she would cry out with joy for his return. Natsu smirked. Oh, this was going to be _fun_.

He had missed teasing her so much, missed that incredulous look that flashed over her face whenever he did something she deemed "inappropriate" – whatever the hell that meant. He moved swiftly until he was within grasping distance. The scent of her strawberry shampoo hit his senses, and his fingers tingled in anticipation of grasping the softness of her skin. The grin on his face only grew as he prepared himself to grab the woman around her waist and hoist her into the air. Just like he had always done when he was home. Home in Magnolia. Home with her.

But before Natsu could even reach out to grab her per his master plan, she was yanked from his grasp and pulled to the side. The crowd stopped at the sound of her screeching and the chatter of passersby paused briefly at the commotion. His hands warmed instantly as he readied himself to come to her rescue. Not even twenty minutes of spotting her, and already he was saving her – the thought had a small smirk forming – how typical. The indistinguishable murmur of the crowd started again as people moved to continue on their way. Natsu frowned at the crowd's reaction as he moved in her direction but was stopped at the sound of her light laughter. His hands turned cold at the sight of her in the embrace of a man he didn't recognize.

The tall man towered over her as he held her leather-bound book in one hand positioned high above her head while his free arm was wrapped around her waist. Their bodies were flushed against each other, with the palms of her hands pressed over his chest. She looked up at him expectantly as her lips held a firm fake pout and her eyes smiled. He leaned over her to place a chaste kiss on her lips, turning her pout into a gentle smile under the push of his lips. She returned the kiss, pulling him into her as she deepened the kiss before pushing him away to wave a finger in his direction. "That wasn't very nice, Shirou!" she chastised. She tried to jump to grab her book, to the delight of the man who firmly kept his arm around her waist, but failed when he inched the book higher into the air.

Natsu's eyes darted between the two. He took a small step back to disappear into the crowd and tugged at his hood to hide his face. His gaze lingered on the stranger. The man was slender yet appeared strong, with piercing dark red eyes and spike-styled silvery white hair. He was dressed in a dark purple button down shirt and dress slacks. The dragon slayer frowned as his musk filled his senses, and he quickly recognized it as the scent that mingled with hers. The very discovery made Natsu uneasy.

Shirou chuckled lightly and winked at her teasingly. "I'm just trying to keep your senses sharp, you know."

She huffed. "My senses are just fine, thank you very much."

He laughed heartily at her response. He leaned his face closer to hers. "And how about I make it up to you with lunch?"

"Well, I'm not sure food is sufficient enough as an apology now," she teased back. Shirou lowered his head, allowing his lips to lightly brush against hers, and pulled back at the sound of her giggles. "Okay. I'm convinced, but you have to get me a milkshake."

Laughing, he lowered the stolen book. Shirou watched as she carefully took the book into her hands and pressed it to her heart. "You drive a hard bargain," he replied with a smile as he took her free hand into his to place it against his chest. He moved the hand over her bare arm to brush her hair from her shoulder and to slide the loose strands of hair behind her ear. When he was rewarded with her usual light blush, Shirou slid the arm around her waist to place a hand on the small of her back. He led her down the cobblestone street, unaware that Natsu followed quietly behind them.

He watched as Shirou reached out to entwine his fingers with hers. The pair walked hand-in-hand, their shoulders touching with each step they took. The shimmer of flaxen hair captured his attention, and Natsu watched as Lucy turned her head to look up at the man that smiled lovingly down at her. "I didn't expect you to be done at the palace so soon," she said.

The white haired man shrugged. "The princess just wanted confirmation on the schedule for the games. I can't believe the first day will begin in two days. Time really has flown. It seems like only yesterday that we had Grand Magic Games in Crocus."

Natsu caught a wave of sadness replace the expression on her face before she turned her head back to focus on the road ahead. He frowned at not being able to see her face, only noting the tense shoulders that kept her back straighter than normal.

Shirou had caught the reaction and he squeezed her hand. "Hey," he bumped her gently as he tried to distract her. "Are you training tonight?"

Her hair swayed as she nodded her head. "Yeah, but I'm free for dinner tomorrow if you're not too busy with last minute preparations for the games."

He smiled. "Dinner with the best looking and smartest woman in Crocus? How could I say no?"

She laughed as her momentary bout of sadness was pushed back into a dark corner of her heart. "Flattery won't make me forget that you owe me a milkshake with lunch." The man by her side only laughed as he threw an arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer to his body. "But, I appreciate the… distraction," she told him softly, her words vague but her tone telling. She turned her head to look at Shirou again, and they shared a knowing smile before they began to talk of the games.

Natsu's feet pulled him to a stop, and he helplessly watched them walk away. As the shimmer of her hair disappeared from his sight and the light fluttering sound of her voice blended into the crowd, he stumbled back as he lost his footing. He tried to push against the nagging feel that he had intruded on something private. His mind was blank as his legs began its slow trek to the Honey Bone Lodge, paying no mind to the people he bumped into along the way. The shade of his bangs and hood shaded his eyes as he kept his gaze firmly placed on the cobblestone road under his feet. When he reached the entrance of the lodge, he stared up at the sign as happy memories were lost to the heavy sense of loss that washed over him. He barely registered the shallowness of his breaths as he broke into a sprint away from the lodge's entrance. He moved quickly, taking a sharp turn down a dark alleyway between two buildings to leap between the walls until he reached the rooftops.

A numbing sensation filled his chest, and Natsu clutched at his heart as it sent a sharp pain through his muscles. He let his legs carry him swiftly from rooftop to rooftop, and he didn't care to hide the heaviness of his leaps as he landed on the wooden shake rooves. _THUMP THUMP THUMP_ He ran to the beat of his heart as it raced his body towards the edge of the city. Natsu felt his long hair whip against his chin as he twisted his body in mid-jump, and he landed with a resounding bang on the last roof. The steep pitch had him sliding slightly, and he slowed his descent by dragging his hand haphazardly over the shake shingles, dislodging the nailed wood from the rooftop. When he neared the gutters, he leaped towards the branch of the giant oak tree and disappeared into the foliage. His body mindlessly leaped from branch to branch until he reached the clearing in the forest that lined the outskirts of the city. It wasn't until he landed in his makeshift camp by the river that he allowed the quiet in his mind to lift.

"You okay, Natsu?" piped the childlike voice that squeaked at his sudden appearance. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He tilted his head to the side as he took another bite of the fish that he cradled closer to his chest. "Uh. This place isn't haunted, is it?!"

The fire dragon slayer forced his eyes to focus on the blue fur that sat near a smile pile of fish bones. He blinked a few times as he stared silently at the exceed, whose face had started to warp into one of deep concern. Slowly, Natsu pushed a smile to his lips and he willed his voice up his throat. With effort to keep his voice smooth and his tone joyful, he let his mind choose the safest words for fear that the tightness in his chest would claim him. "I found Lucy."

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 **FoeverAFairyTailLover159:** Somewhat correct. Natsu was gone for 1 year, so this takes place after his training.

 **Amelia dragneel15:** Thank you!

 **Doom Marine 54:** Thank you for your trolling. While I didn't enjoy the negativity, the fact that you felt the need to comment meant you read it.

 **jfkkennedy:** I certainly feel the same way!


	3. The Knight

**[Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Fairy Tail world, which is trademarked by Hiro Mashima.]**

 **I really didn't like the last chapter, so I spent the last two days revising it. I'm much, much happier with it. My amendment of the last chapter had me inspired, so this chapter arrives much sooner than anticipated. I think having a second story on which to focus is working. I'm off to work on the next chapter of** _ **The Darkness Within**_ **. Quick response to the reviewer as a thank you after the chapter. .M.**

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"It looked as if it had once been a large house of entertainment; but the roof had fallen in, in many places, and the stairs were steep, rugged, and broken. There was a huge fire-place in the room into which they walked, and the chimney was blackened with smoke; but no warm blaze lighted it up now. The white feathery dust of burnt wood was still strewed over the hearth, but the stove was cold, and all was dark and gloomy."

\- Charles Dickens [ _The Pickwick Papers_ ] -

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. **03\. The Knight**

Lucy sat quietly in the center of a large clearing lined with floating lacrimas that glowed with soft yellow hues. She had changed out of her yellow summer dress, opting instead for tight black leggings and a pink sports bra that barely contained her chest. Her hair was tightly braided, with the tail rolled into a tight bun at the base of her neck. Seated on her shins, her legs tucked under her, her eyes remained closed as a breeze moved through the clearing. It picked up the tips of the stray strands of her hair as her magic swirled around her to mix with nature's breeze. At the edge of the clearing, Capricorn stood ever watchful over his celestial mage. The corner of his black suit jacket moved on the breeze, and the soft glow of the full moon reflected off the corner of his black sunglasses.

Opaque spheres materialized around her. They hovered in the air, unmoving and unwavering, as they grew in size and in number. There was a hitch in her breath, her mouth dropping slightly to allow an inhalation through the parting of her lips. The spheres began a slow circle around her, dirt kicking up into the air to create a small dust devil to form around her. Lucy opened her eyes, never once allowing her focus to waver as her eyes watched a thin layer of a dust wall began to form. Slowly, she stood in the center of the swirling vortex of her creation and felt her magic pulsate with her heart. The spheres gained speed, spinning rapidly around her until only her ears could hear the soft whirl as they orbited around her as if she were the sun. She took a step, sending a small ripple in her magic to move the spheres with her. She remained in the eye of the miniature tornado of her making. Carefully, she moved in fluid motions, her legs kicking out and into stances as her arms sliced through the air in solid punches.

Her body moved steadily, her fists cutting through the air in precise movements as she avoided wasting her magic and physical energies. Her feet dragged soft lines along the earth with each movement, creating little indented paths along the dry soil. The spheres spun wildly around her, dust swirling around her to the point that her figure was a mere shadow to the outside observer. Eventually, the dust began to settle around her as the spheres slowed their orbit. They shrunk in size and in number. Once they disappeared, Lucy stood strong and steady, her skin glistening with the sweat of magical and physical exertion. She took a deep breath as she tried to slow the beating of her racing heart.

"That was excellent," Capricorn praised in an even and serious tone. "You are doing well with your training." He moved from the edge of the clearing, taking long strides until he reached her.

Lucy flashed a brilliant smile as she wiped a mixture of sweat and dust from her brow. She took the cold bottle of water he offered her. "Thanks, Capricorn. What's next?" she asked before taking a satisfying swig.

"You shall be sparring Loke tonight."

She nodded as she continued to drink. Her free hand moved towards the ever-present brown leather pouch on her hip. With a flick of her slender fingers, she released the snap. She removed the bottle from her lips as a sad smile appeared briefly in her eyes as her fingertips brushed over the cold metal of _her_ key. The jagged edge was smoothed after her constant strokes. Lucy moved quickly past the broken key, pushing her sad thoughts to another corner of her mind. There would be time to linger on such feelings later.

Her fingers made quick work of filtering through the keys, the soft metal clanging as metal met metal, before settling on the one of her choosing. Her mere touch had the lion spirit appearing in a glow of celestial energy. The corner of Lucy's lips curled up into a smirk despite the sigh she released. "I didn't even get a chance to call you out, Loke."

Standing tall with pride, the orange haired spirit adjusted his tinted sunglasses before taking her hand into both of his. He gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, drawing loving circles over the softness of her skin. "My dearest love," he greeted smoothly as he peered over the top of his glasses to meet her eyes, "the very touch of your soft fingers is enough to call me forth to your beck and call." He bowed deeply and kissed the back of his fingers.

Lucy laughed despite the dusting of pink that graced her cheeks. "You really are a ham, you know that?"

"I take offense! Hams are pigs," Loke wrinkled his nose as he straightened just enough out of his bowed position. "I am a fierce and magnificent lion, my love," he paused and breathily whispered as he leaned forward until their noses were a mere centimeters apart. He continued to draw invisible circles over the back of her hand as he pulled her closer towards him. "Would you like to see just how magnificent and fierce?" He smiled as she laughed, the pink of her cheeks moving to colour the entirety of her face. He watched as a flash of regret moved through her expressions, hidden deep under the airy lift of her laughter, as he stared deep into his eyes. It was the briefest of shared moments, one of sadness yet appreciation. It chipped at the sliver of the crack in his healing heart. The sound of Capricorn clearing his throat had Loke straightening and adjusting his tie. Loke released a soft embarrassed cough as he turned to face the manly goat. "So Capricorn, what's on the agenda tonight?"

"You and I will be sparring with Ms. Lucy, and she will attempt to use your powers against us."

Loke lit his hands as he turned his head to flash Lucy his signature smile. "Sounds like a good time. You ready to dance, my love?"

Lucy let a foot slide back as she lifted her hands in front of her face in loose yet steady fists. "Always."

. . .

He leaned against the thick trunk of the oak tree as he sat on the thickest branch, hidden by the lush foliage. Natsu had returned into the city after dinner in search of Lucy. He followed the trail of her scent from the fountain square to what he had thought would be a lodge. He was floored by the size of her house, and he only managed to wonder briefly why the celestial mage had relocated to Crocus before he was forced to follow her. He remained in the shadows above her as she moved through the city with ease and he continued to follow her as she disappeared into the forest that outlined the city. Natsu tossed the handful of spiced dried fruit into his mouth and chewed quietly, as his eyes remained locked on Lucy's moving body. Near the beginning of her battle, she had dodged and ducked swiftly as she jumped back to create a sizeable distance between herself and her aggressors.

He watched as she had grabbed hold of Loke's key to press it to her chest as she screamed out, "Star dress! Leo form!" Instantly she was bathed in white light. He was blinded in that instance as her body was engulfed by the light of her magic. When his sight returned, Natsu had found himself gaping at the blonde. Gone was the tight training outfit, and in its place, a tight black sweetheart neckline gown wrapped around her torso. Unattached flowing sleeves were wrapped around her biceps and a choker wrapped around her slender neck. The gown billowed out from her tiny waist with golden sash draped over the curve of her hips. The frilled hem danced on the wind, and the deep and thick slit ran up her leg until it hit her hip. The gap showcased the curve of her toned long legs as she maneuvered on black heels. Her hair was pulled into a high and thick chignon, with long fringes of her hair framing her face.

Natsu gulped down the dryness that turned his tongue into sandpaper at the sight of her. Her skin glowed with the power of her magic, and she carried a fiery expression on her face. The whole outfit was entirely impractical for a battle – so typical Lucy – but the thought was immediately squashed as he watched Lucy's movements turn furious with deadly precision. He stilled the excitement that bubbled at the prospect of a fight to test her new powers. She was clearly stronger, and sparring with his partner would be fun!

"I really do love having my name on your magnificent and bountiful breasts, my shining starry princess."

"Loke, I swear that if you don't take this seriously, I'm going to kick you back into the celestial realm with your own damn powers!" Lucy huffed as she fell into a crouch, one leg kicked out straight to the side while her other was bent close to her chest. She watched as Capricorn's leg sailed over the top of her head before she tucked into a ball and rolled to the side. She jumped to her feet and immediately turned to block Capricorn's and Loke's combined kicks with her forearms.

Intently, the dragon slayer watched his celestial mage moved easily between her two assailants. He snickered as she planted a heeled kick to the lion spirit's gut, and he didn't care to explore why watching the lion spirit grunt in misery gave him a spark of satisfaction. Natsu decided the pervy celestial spirit deserved more than a kick in the stomach. Who touches their "master" that way? Was he always that touchy-feely and flirty?

The frills of her gown danced on air with each spin, wrapping and unwrapping her legs with ease and grace. Her limbs moved elegantly with each kick and punch, as if she was in the middle of a dance and not a fight.

Natsu continued to watch, mesmerized as he felt her magic sweeping through the trees as she moved. A swelling feeling of pride washed over him as he watched Lucy move, her limbs cutting through the space she occupied as she fought against two of her strongest spirits. There had been many moments when he found her amazing; this moment was no different.

Lucy screamed as she leaped high into the air to meet Loke mid-air during his attack. Her right hand formed a tight fist as she pulled it back to her ear. Loudly she called out "Regulus!" as her fist was covered in a blinding light. She snapped her arm forward and landed a solid punch to his chin as she twisted to the side to narrowly miss the punch Loke directed in her direction.

She landed gracefully, falling gently onto her knees and stood proudly as Loke collapsed with a heavy thud behind her.

Capricorn dusted the lapel of his jacket. "I think this will be good for tonight," he said, calling an end to their sparring match.

Lucy nodded as her expression changed, morphing from a determined and hardened look to her usual soft and gentle smile. She turned to look at Loke as he stood and rubbed the edge of his chin where a bruise was starting to form. "Thank you so much for tonight," she smiled as she bowed.

Loke smiled as he and Capricorn returned her bow, a knowing and sad glint in their eyes. "Why don't you have Capricorn walk you home, Lucy? I can clean up the area," he offered.

"That won't be necessary." The trio turned in time to watch Shirou step into the clearing. The man smiled as he kept his eyes on Lucy as he approached, a hand in his pocket while the other reached out to take her hand.

Natsu narrowed his eyes at the man that stepped into the clearing.

"Shirou!" she exclaimed happily as she gave him her hand. "What are you doing here?"

The white haired man smiled down at her and kissed the top of her fingers. "I didn't feel like spending the night without my girl by my side. Are you up for some hot chocolate and a good book?"

Lucy giggled. "That sounds just fantastic!"

He looked up and smiled at Capricorn and Loke. "Hello Capricorn. Hello Loke." Both celestial spirits nodded in his direction, Capricorn easy in his stance while Loke's shoulders stiffened. The lion spirit and Shirou shared a lingering stare, as if they carried their own personal little conversation. Loke frowned, but the expression disappeared as quickly as it appeared as he caught Capricorn's subtle head shake from the corner of his eyes.

Shirou turned his attention to Lucy as he placed a gentle hand on the small of her back. "Come on, Lucy. I'll walk you home," he led her away from the clearing.

She leaned into him. "Okay!" she looked behind her and smiled at her spirits, "Thank you for cleaning up tonight! Bye you two!" Lucy looked up at Shirou. "I need a bath. I smell."

"You don't need to make up a reason for a bath, you know. Everyone here knows just how addicted you are to your baths," he teased.

Loke and Capricorn watched as Lucy and Shirou disappeared from the clearing, the sounds of their light-hearted bickering disappearing into the foliage. Loke looked up at Capricorn as the imposing celestial spirit placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand the conflict you must feel, my friend."

His mane of orange swayed as he shook his head. "There is no conflict, Capricorn. I am her knight, and I will always remain by her side," his voice soft and filled with emotion. His eyes lingered over where Lucy had disappeared, walking away in the arms of another man. Loke straightened and brushed the dust from his suit as he rolled his head from side to side. His tone hardened. "That being said, I will handle this mess."

Capricorn nodded curtly. "Are you sure? I would not mind helping in this task, and I am sure Virgo would like to assist."

Loke shook his head. "No," he replied adamantly and with authority. "I will handle it on my own." He watched as Capricorn nodded, his eyes flickering into the treeline as a sneer pulled at the corner of his lips to break the normally stoic expression, before disappearing in a flash of light. The lion spirit took a deep breath before he turned to face a large oak tree at the edge of the clearing. Narrowing his eyes, he broke into a sprint and leaped high into the foliage of the tree. The leaves and thin branches whipped at his face as he flew towards the trunk of the tree at the source of his rage. "Come out of your hiding spot and face me!"

Natsu's eyes widened at the approaching light aimed at his face. He quickly leaped to the side and fell off his branch. He landed roughly on the ground, crouching before finally straightening to stand. Looking up, he watched as Loke leaped from the charred branch and landed gracefully in front of him. "Loke!" he greeted with a wide grin, completely unaware of the anger directed at him. He sprung up onto his toes, shifting weight between them as he readied for a friendly fight.

Loke's eyes narrowed with contempt as he practically hissed the words through clenched teeth. "You have some nerve being here, lizard breath."

He tilted his head in confusion at the tone. "Hey! What's with the greeting, man?"

The celestial spirit's eyes twitched with irritation as anger bubbled over the brim of his crumbling self-control. "Why the hell are you here?"

Natsu grinned. "I'm back! I thought I'd find you guys here at the games. What's the deal with the guild-" Caught in the excitement of being in the presence of the celestial spirit, he didn't catch Loke's lit fist directed at his face. Natsu only felt the hard impact to the bone as his teeth clattered together from the force of the blast. He felt his back hit the dirt and he released a grunt as a rock dug deep into the side of his rib. He coughed at the dust that entered his nostrils and throat. "What the fuck, Loke?!"

Loke ripped the thin-framed glasses from his face and glowered down at the man below him. "Coward! You come slinking back like a snake in the reeds!" He took a steady step the dragon slayer, his eyes narrowing. "I know why you're back, and I won't allow it. Stay the hell away from Lucy, Natsu! After everything she's gone through, I will not let you ruin her happiness."

Natsu tasted iron in his mouth as it mixed with his saliva. He turned his head and spit the taste from his tongue before he turned to sneer at the spirit who neared. "You can't keep me away from her, Loke! I'm her partner! Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm the one who was and is still here!" the celestial lion bellowed as his feet lit alive with celestial magic. He lifted up his leg and sent it the heel down towards Natsu. Loke growled as the dragon slayer rolled away, a charred circle painted the ground where he had been. He snapped around and twist out of the way of Natsu's fist. "I was here when she needed someone! Where the hell were you?"

Natsu staggered at his words, confusion blinding him to the kick that hit him square in the gut. He grunted as he bowed over at the sheer force.

Loke pushed forward, his lit fists sending the dragon slayer back several meters. "I was the one she turned to when you left! I was the one who held her while she cried herself to sleep! I was the one who carried her home when she drunk herself to a stupor. And, I was the one who she turned to when it was all too much. I was the one who-," he stopped as his body shook and Loke forced himself to take a step back from the pink haired wizard.

Natsu stood and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "You're a fucking over-dramatic jerk."

The leader of the zodiac roared, his mane swaying at the power that he released with the force of his emotions. His body readied to pounce when a flash of light appeared next to him. The soft grasp on his forearm interrupted the rage that moved through him, and his magic eased as he stared at the pair of blue eyes that stared up at him. "Virgo?" he managed. "What- what are you doing here?"

Although the virgin maiden's emotionless face stared up at him, her eyes were soft and compassionate. "I have come as the messenger of your brothers and your sisters. We ask that our brother, our leader, return before he does something that will hurt himself and our Princess." She turned to face Natsu and her eyes hardened as she met his eyes. "The dragon slayer is not worth your energy, brother."

Loke's eyes flickered between Natsu and Virgo as he watched the dragon slayer's face twist with confusion. He sighed. "Thank you, Virgo," Loke whispered as he straightened his shoulders back and ran a shaky hand through the thickness of his mane. He stared at Natsu with muted anger. "You asked who I am? I was and will forever be her knight. I was here." The words were heavy with meaning, and he let it linger in the tense air between them. "What you should be asking yourself, Natsu, is who are you?"

Natsu's mouth dropped at the question, but found himself unable to answer. He met the duo's unbreakable and hard gaze with confusion and uncertainty. When they left in a flash of light, the words hovered over him. They moved through him to sit heavily on his soul. The loss of adrenaline had him noticing the increasing aches that riddled his body. His hand moved on its own to clutch at his aching heart, the warmth of his memories making way to questions he couldn't answer. He looked up at the night sky. During his travels, he would often look up at the stars and his thoughts would always wander to the celestial mage and their adventures. Under the bright glare of the moonlight, he could see no sign of his starry companions. Surely, it was just the chill of the night air that broke through the barrier of his warmth and chilled him to the bone.

* * *

 **MarSofTheGalaxies:** In a manner of speaking, yes. I'm focusing more on the journey than the destination. As I mentioned in my note in the first chapter, this story fills in the missing parts before Lucy and Natsu reunite.


	4. The Question

**[Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Fairy Tail world, which is trademarked by Hiro Mashima.]**

 **Next one to update will be** _ **The Darkness Within.**_ **I'm so glad I started this one. Writing is a joy again. I'm really enjoying myself with this story as a whole. Are you? .M.**

* * *

"I take no joy in mead nor meat, and song and laughter have become suspicious strangers to me. I am a creature of grief and dust and bitter longings. There is an empty place within me where my heart once was."

\- George R.R. Martin [ _A Song of Ice and Fire] -_

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 **.04. The Question**

His mind was a jumble of thoughts, questions, and concerns as he made his way to camp. He wasn't sure why he didn't want to share any of it with Happy. He determined it was because he didn't want his young blue friend worrying over something that didn't make any sense. There really wasn't any reason why the exceed needed know there was something amiss regarding the celestial mage. When they had left Magnolia without a word to Lucy, Happy had mentioned there was a possibility Lucy wouldn't be all that pleased. Telling him would have only resulted in a slew of "I told you so" statements in every shape and form, and Natsu told himself he just didn't want to deal with the exceed's know-it-all attitude. But ultimately, the dragon slayer knew it was because he was a little frightened Loke's unspoken sentiment was true – that his arrival would only make Lucy unhappy, or worse, make her cry. So, he hid all of it behind a wide grin as he chatted with happy about seeing their guildmates again. As he always did, Happy worked himself up with such excitement that he crashed soon after, and Natsu slipped away from camp to find solace in her presence.

He made his way through the city quickly, hidden in the shadows as he leapt quietly from rooftop to rooftop until he reached the building across from her apartment. The air around her building was filled with her scent, the subtle sweetness that he liked to think originated from the core of her personality. He rested flat on his stomach against the wooden shake shingles, his head peeking over the ridge of the rooftop. He kept his head of pink covered by the hood of his cloak so that he could blend easily into the chimney shadow casted by the bright moonlight. Finding the right apartment didn't take long; the soft pink décor was easy enough to spot through the large colonial arch shaped windows.

She was next to the last window, seated in front of her slightly beat-up desk with a soft desk lamp lighting the surface on which she wrote. Her head was bent down as her hand moved steadily over the tanned parchment, and Natsu couldn't help by smile as he watched her. From his perch atop her neighbour's roof, he could almost see the strokes of her handwriting as her letters connected in the swirls and curves of her delicate penmanship. She paused and turned her head to look out the window by her side.

Instinct had him pressing himself closer to the rooftop and deeper into the shadow. Like ninja.

Natsu watched the expressions she wore openly on her face as she stared up at the sky to watch the clouds move. There was a flash of sadness that made his heart heavy. When she finished writing, he watched her fold the parchment, slip it into an envelope with care, and write the date on the exterior. Then, he watched as the blonde lifted the envelope to press it to her lips as she closed her eyes. Natsu had caught the stray tear that slid along the curve of her cheek to linger at her jawline before it dropped.

There was a desire to reach out and hold her in that moment, as he had always done whenever she cried. Loke's unspoken threat – albeit pathetically weak and wholly unjustified, Natsu determined – replayed itself in the dragon slayer's head as he stared through her window.

" _Coward! You come slinking back like a snake in the reeds! I know why you're back, and I won't allow it! Stay away from Lucy, Natsu! After everything she's gone through, I will not let you ruin her happiness."_

"Stupid cat," Natsu grumbled under an irritable breath. "What the hell does he know?" The dragon slayer was her partner. Despite their time apart, he was certain the very title meant he knew Lucy better than anyone. Ruin the celestial mage's happiness? The very idea had him scoffing. He would never do anything to make her cry; she'd be ecstatic to see him after all this time. Natsu was very certain of it. Lucy was always happy to see him, even if she said otherwise. He knew because he saw it in her eyes every single time. Through all the screeching and "Lucy kicks!", he had seen that shimmer of joy whenever their eyes met. Clearly, Loke had no idea what he was saying.

Nevertheless, doubt had Natsu hesitating as his eyes watched her closely with her fingers lightly tightened around the edges of the envelope in her hands. They trembled as if she was trying desperately to keep herself from crushing the letter in her grasp.

His eyes followed Lucy as she stood to slip the envelope into the box on the topmost shelf of her desk hutch. She wiped the tear trail from her face and stretched her arms high above her head, pulling the baby blue camisole up along her abdomen to reveal the curve of her waistline between her camisole and the matching shorts, before reaching under the lampshade to turn it off. A faint glow of moonlight peeked through the moving clouds to light her way, and the celestial mage walked along the windowed wall to what Natsu assumed was her bedroom.

Natsu pulled himself onto the ridge to sit and stared up at the sky. Clouds had moved in to put an end to the clear sky, not that he had been able to see any stars at all that night – the moon was just too bright. There was an uneasy rumbling in the very pit of his stomach when his eyes settled back on the abandoned desk by the window and the whole confrontation with Loke replayed itself for the hundredth time that night. Loke's fury was directed specifically at him, so much so that Natsu felt unadulterated loathing vibrating in the magic that made the spirit's punches sting. The look in Virgo's eyes carried the same weight of animosity. The pinkette couldn't help but wonder exactly what Lucy had gone through to make the celestial spirits unreasonably protective of her, especially from him.

Natsu growled with irritation and he scratched his head a little vigorously to shake off the phantom sensation that he was missing something incredibly important. He really didn't like being confused, especially over something as simple as his partnership with Lucy. What he needed to do was see her because that would prove to Loke he was wrong and just an overdramatic jerk. Then, Natsu would get to punch him and then he'd get the proverbial monkey off his damn back.

Grasping the ridge with one hand, he threw his body over the rooftop and lightly landed on the cobblestone road below. There was a soft thud as the balls of his feet made contact, and he let his knees ease into the impact as he remained in a kneeling position. His eyes glanced left to right quickly. The streets were clear, and he walked quietly to her apartment building. The soft pink curtain edges swayed over the stone sill of her open window. He closed his eyes as a summer breeze carried her sweet scent to him. It eased the tension in his muscles to draw up a peaceful smile to his lips.

 _Home._

He shifted his weight from foot to foot, almost dancing on the balls of his feet as he stared up at his destination. Briefly, he forgot all about Loke and his words, forgot about the relentless questioning that kept his brain busier than normal, and forgot about the loneliness that plagued him at every corner. Excitement threatened to bubble over as his body pulled at the muscle memory. How many times did he jump up into her apartment in Magnolia? Too many to count.

He leapt high into the air, the strength of his jump carrying him easily through the air. His callous fingers caught the stone sill easily before gravity took over to bring him back down to the earth below. Natsu pulled himself up to squat and pushed one curtain panel to side with the hand that didn't grip the sill. His body relaxed as her scent surrounded him, and he relished as the concentration of honey and vanilla surrounded him. Tilting his head slightly to the side, he peered at the lump under the recognizable pink duvet. She was hidden under the top of her soft duvet, golden strands spread over the pillow. His hand reached out before he could stop it and lifted the bedding enough to see her face.

Cooler air had her stirring slightly, but she didn't wake. Her body shifted as she buried her nose deeper into her pillow, inhaling deeply before she exhaled a longing sigh with a near inaudible mumble.

Natsu blinked once – twice – as the words tumbled so easily from her lips like an earnest prayer. It was said so softly that had it not been for his enhanced dragon slayer hearing, he was sure he would have dismissed it as random sleep-induced mumbling. Her tone, filled with an emotion he couldn't quite place, made his brows furrow in confusion. A new emotion moved through him, a deep and earnest yearning to touch her skin took over easily. His hand dropped the blanket gently on her bare shoulder and reached out to caress her exposed cheek when movement in her bed stalled him.

How had he missed the other lump in the bed with her?

His hand snapped back to rest on his knee, eyes widening as an arm hidden under her pillow snaked its way around from under her shoulder to rest over her heart. The duvet moved as a limb under the covers slinked around her waist and pulled the celestial mage from the window and, seemingly, away from him. The dragon slayer narrowed his eyes at the mess of white hair that revealed itself from under her bedding. He watched, eye twitching, as the man he recognized as Shirou nuzzled his nose into the nape of her neck and inhaled deeply. Natsu grinded his teeth together as the man nipped at the soft skin lightly before the tip of his tongue darted out to lick her neck and nuzzled his nose into her again.

He was about ready to yank Shirou from the comforts of _his_ partner's bed when her soft contented sigh stopped him. Natsu watched as her head dipped to kiss the arm under her head and her entire body sank back into his embrace. In that moment, he realized he really didn't want to be anywhere near whatever _this_ was. It made his chest hurt.

Without a second thought, the pinkette dropped unceremoniously from her window sill, his feet heavy at the impact. Natsu stared up at the window and clutched at his chest, rubbing small circles with his palm deeply into the muscle that covered his heart. He grumbled; his chest was really hurting a lot these days. Sparing one last look up at Lucy's window, his lips formed a thin line. He could have sworn he had heard her so clearly. Nestled in the comforters of her bed, before she was pulled away from whatever weird dream she was having, Natsu was sure Lucy had clearly called out for him. _"Natsu, please…"_

. . .

He was happy to have been able to convince the blue exceed to stay at camp because he was sure there was no way he could have handled his feline-ish friend at the moment. Happy had a knack of being annoying, and Natsu was sure that this whole weird situation with Lucy would mean some sort of smartass comment from the exceed. There was no way to avoid it.

He was finding his patience already thin from the constant ache that made his chest and head hurt. It must have been the lack of sleep that had him on edge the moment he awoke that morning. After a night of tossing and turning on the hard ground, the pinkette decided that his current predicament was a direct result of the stranger who had somehow attached himself to _his_ partner. He determined there and then that he was going to find out who exactly this Shirou guy was because everyone – and the dragon slayer did mean everyone – knew that Lucy had a knack of just meeting the wrong people. The woman was just a magnet for them. So if experience told Natsu anything, it was that this white haired man was trouble for the celestial mage.

Natsu hunched into himself as he leaned his back against the trunk of the tree. Crossing his arms and burying his nose into his white scale-covered scarf, the dragon slayer narrowed his eyes at the man who moved around Lucy as he tried to land a punch on the celestial mage.

"Ooof!" she huffed as she fell flat onto her back. Lucy rolled out of the way as the heel of his foot descended upon her, and she heard it land with a hard smack against the dry dirt where her stomach used to be. Lucy jumped quickly as he closed the short distance between them with one long stride. She planted her feet as he sent a fist towards her chin. Her hands gripped his wrist as it neared and spun adeptly under his stretched arm to twist it behind his back. She pushed his wrist deep into his muscles as she pulled on the limb to reach up his back until she felt him struggle with the stretch. "Relent!" she ordered once she was sure of her hold. A small grin graced her lips as he flinched and lowered to her height as he tried to ease the pull on his shoulder and arm.

Shirou released a gasping laugh through the pain. "Now why the hell would I do that when I've got you where I want you?"

She released an airy laugh and pulled on his wrist a little more. "I think I've knocked your head around once too many today," Lucy teased.

The white haired man huffed as he turned his body towards her. His momentum forced her to step back, and in her haste she didn't notice how he had slid his foot behind her easily. Her tight hold on his wrist was gone the moment she fell back to the earth, and Shirou brought the knee to press lightly onto her heaving chest. "Told you," he returned, a light teasing tone in his voice as he grinned widely at her.

Lucy puffed her cheeks out in irritation as she threw both her hands up in surrender. Letting her head fall back against the hard soil, she grumbled. "You win this round."

Shirou laughed as he fell to sit next to her. "Oh don't be like that," he nudged her leg with his foot. "You were distracted. I wouldn't have stood a chance otherwise."

"I was not distracted," she muttered as she closed her eyes.

He sighed and leaned his head over her. Looking at her, he couldn't help but smile. The woman was beautiful. "Lucy, look at me." Shirou watched as she took a deep breath before opening her eyes. They stared at each other in silence and Shirou felt the familiar pull of his emotions as he leaned down to kiss her gently.

Natsu didn't know exactly what made him do it, but his hand shot up and gripped the branch above him. Before he could even fathom what he was doing, his hand tightened its hold around the large branch and snapped it clean off the tree. Splinters rained over the dragon slayer as he growled deeply into the fabric of his scarf. He snickered as the two separated at the sound and searched the tree line for the source.

Her brow was furrowed as her eyes locked onto the movement of a majestic oak just beyond the edge of the little clearing. Lucy inhaled deeply, the faint scent of burning wood filling her nostrils. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to look between the gaps of the foliage. Was that… pink? Clearly her senses were just playing a trick on her – a really cruel trick.

Shirou stood up, dusted his pants clean, and offered his hand to the woman who was still searching the forest around them. "Lucy?" he called out to her. The sound of her name on his lips snapped her out of her thoughts. When her soft brown eyes stared up at him, he smiled. "I made an early dinner reservation. I thought we could enjoy one quiet night before the Games start tomorrow, and we're both too busy to enjoy ourselves."

Lucy chuckled lightly as her hand found its way into his grasp. The strong pull of his hand had her falling straight into his arms.

"I love you, you know that?" Lucy only smiled timidly at his words, and Shirou lowered his head to let their lips meet once more. Taking a deep breath, he parted to find her eyes still closed and a happy smile on her lips. The very sight of it had his heart fluttering. "Come on."

 _I love you._ Shirou's words repeated itself over and over in the Natsu's mind. _I love you._ He watched as Lucy walked hand-in-hand with Shirou from the clearing. She lingered a step behind to look at the oak behind her. Lucy's eyes lingered on the tree in which he stayed hidden and her lips parted slightly as if she was about to speak. The expression on her face made Natsu tightly gripping the branch in his hand. The mixture of wistfulness and anticipation on her face had the dragon slayer's body aching to leap out of the tree. Although he was certain she didn't see him, his eyes met hers and Natsu made himself believe that in that very instance, Lucy knew he was there.

Lucy turned her back to him and allowed Shirou to pull her back to Crocus.

Natsu lingered in the tree until he was sure they were gone before leaping off the tree to land loudly on the ground below. His fingers gripped at the branch he had broken, and the heat of his hands burnt into the wood before he tossed it to the side. Quietly, he trudged back to camp as he tugged grumpily at his scarf. Loke's irritating voice replayed itself in his head.

" _You asked who I am? I was and will forever be her knight. I was here. What you should be asking yourself, Natsu, is who are you?"_

He growled and kicked a bolder like it was pebble. Natsu watched it fly several meters, crushing trees along its path. The irritating and perverted celestial spirit was her protector, and to his ever developing chagrin, the white haired guy was obviously her suitor. Lucy had clearly made a new life for herself – a life without Fairy Tail. It was a life without him. He scowled. There was a growing necessity to punch something and that damn ache in his chest was really starting to make him want to set something, anything, on fire.

He rubbed his chest as his brain tried to claw desperately at the torrent of emotions and thoughts that made everything hurt. He had been so lonely during his year away from Fairy Tail. Natsu clenched his fists. He had left to find strength. Igneel's death had been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. It was in that moment he came to acknowledge just how far he had fallen behind on his training. He was weak, too weak to protect everyone who was dear to him, so he disappeared into the world to grieve in the only way he knew how – by making himself stronger. He had hoped that being away from the distraction and the place where he had failed to help his father, he would have found the peace he so desperately craved – a long desired quiet from the sorrow and the loneliness that plagued him for as long as he could remember.

It was a loneliness that only started to ease around Lucy, and he realized that it had happened from the moment he had grabbed her soft slender hand and ran off with her back to Fairy Tail. It disappeared slowly with her weirdness and her gentle caring smile and her bottomless forgiving heart. Unable to handle the rush of emotions, Natsu planted his feet and tilted his head back as he roared loudly into the sky above him. The sound disappeared into the foliage as his lungs released the burst of flames and heat.

He felt his ache fuel the flames until his lungs begged for oxygen. Spent, he plopped on the charred earth and glanced around at the blackened forest around him. He could almost hear it – that shrill lecture of hers about his overly destructive tendencies. It made him chuckle darkly. He imagined her red face as she went on about how he had to control himself. It would be like it always was, only this time she would run back into Shirou's arms instead of sparing Natsu another glance. The very imagine had him finally putting the words to the emotions that scared him the moment he saw her in Shirou's arms. Where exactly did he fit in her new life?

"Fuck," he grumbled grumpily as he gripped the loose fabric of his pants. And, he finally asked, "Who am I to her now?"

* * *

 **Guest:** That is definitely a thought! Thanks for the input. Your suggestion is really close to what I'm envisioning, and your take on it has me shifting things around a little. Thank you! I love feedback like yours because it's so helpful!


	5. The Magazine

**[Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Fairy Tail world, which is trademarked by Hiro Mashima.]**

 **Stalled in the chapter I meant to update in** _ **The Darkness Within**_ **and decided it was probably better to update something than nothing at all. I had originally had all five days of the GMG in one chapter, but I decided to rewrite it, and it ended up being far longer than I had anticipated so what was one is now broken apart into many. This one is lighter. To break the heaviness. There is a note at the end of this. .M.**

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"There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it."

\- Alan Paton _[Cry, the Beloved Country]_ -

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 **.05. The Magazine**

 _[Grand Magic Games: Day 1]_

"There you have it folks! Our competitors for the x792 Grand Magic Games! Just listen to that roaring crowd, Yajima-san. They are going wild!"

"This year's Games will be a tough one for all our competitors, so it will promise to be a good show for everyone."

"Do you really think so? Many actually believe quite the opposite."

"Do you mean because last year's champions, Fairy Tail, is not here?"

"Yes. Other very powerful guilds such as Sabertooth, Blue Pegasus, and Mermaid Heel have opted out of joining the Games this year. Apparently they didn't want to participate if they couldn't compete against Fairy Tail."

"While there is no doubt that a heated rematch between Sabertooth and Fairy Tail would have been spectacular, this year everyone will be able to get to know Fiore's other guilds. It will be a good time for these guilds to showcase who they are and their power."

"Then, as you suggest Yajima-san, it shall be a hot-hot-hot competition!"

Natsu stared down into the large open arena as the competitors waved to the screaming spectators. His eyes narrowed at the smug looks that graced many of the competitors' faces. These mages had no right to be haughty as they drank in the deafening applaud of support from the crowd, not if they weren't facing off with Fairy Tail. The very thought had his annoyance growing with each passing second. Exactly _where_ the hell was Fairy Tail? What was the old man thinking when he chose not to enter the Games this year? He released a low and heated growl of frustration.

His return was not what he had imagined and expected, each passing day only adding to the lonely weight that he quietly carried with him as he sought out his fateful reunion with his nakama. No Fairy Tail. No Team Natsu. No Lucy. The dragon slayer continued to stew in his irritation, the reason intangible and just barely beyond his grasp, as he flopped flatly onto his back. He stretched out along the scratchy stone surface of the outreached staff of one of the four gigantic statues. The surface was heated from the warmth of the summer sun that beat down upon them without a cloud to break up the rising temperature. Boredom quickly descended upon him as he scratched his head. There wasn't any point in jumping into the arena if Fairy Tail wasn't going to be competing. Where was the fun in that? There was a distinct lack of fun in the last few days, he decided miserably.

Happy jumped up and down by the dragon slayer's head. "Natsu! Natsu!" he squeaked excitedly, "I see Lucy!" The blue exceed pointed out into the arena, his head twisting back and forth between his view of the celestial mage and his pink haired friend by his side.

Natsu's eyes snapped open at the announcement, and he rolled over to his stomach to peer over the edge. His eyes followed the direction of Happy's paw and squinted against the brightness of the sun. The sight of her cheering over the railing had him instantly smiling, and it gave him a momentary reprieve from the uncomfortable stinging that lingered in his chest over the last few days. "What's that weirdo doing over there?" he mused softly as he tilted his head to the side.

As he watched her jumping and cheering, it dawned on him rather quickly that he had only seen her in more moderate clothing styles at every sighting. Yet there in the spectator area of the arena, as her heaving chest leaned over the stone railing, Lucy was dressed in an outfit he was more accustomed to seeing on the celestial mage. Her far-too-short cotton skirt flew up as she placed her weight onto the railing to allow her feet to kick up behind her. Her abundant chest threatened to spill over the low-cut crop top as she leaned forward and screamed. Natsu was sure he could hear her voice over the thundering crowd. Her arm was raised in a closed fist as she waved it excitedly into the air. Her skin glowed as sunlight drenched every inch of bare skin that she showed the world.

He decided that he rather liked this Lucy more than the ones he had seen the previous days. She didn't smile as widely, and her body seemed to carry a solemn weight that dimmed the very brightness of her soul. This Lucy was much more like the woman he remembered – the daring cheerful woman who was brazen in her appearance and with her actions.

"I don't know," the exceed's voice snapped Natsu out of his thoughts, "but it looks like she's in the press box." Happy smiled widely at Natsu as the pinkette turned to stare down at him. "Let's go see her now, Natsu! I'm tired of waiting! I want to see Lucy. I want her to rub my belly and give me fish! And, I bet she can tell us what happened to the guild!"

Natsu remained quiet, watching Happy dance on the tips of his feet. It was if the exceed's tiny form ached desperately to contain the overwhelming sense of excitement that threatened to implode. He turned his head back to look towards Lucy, watching as the blonde almost toppled over the railing in her exuberant cheering, her arms and legs flailing as she leaned off the railing to catch herself from falling. He snickered. A large side of him agreed with the blue feline. Seeing his partner would be exciting, and he was tired of hiding in the shadows of her life. It was so unlike him, and he berated himself that much at every instance he had remained at a distance. All he wanted to do was sling an arm over her shoulder and drag her on an exciting adventure where he'd show her everything he had learned in their year apart.

Yet, hesitation had him tensing his muscles as he watched from atop their perch on the stone staff. The Lucy he had watched from the shadows had undoubtedly moved on beyond their partnership and Fairy Tail. Natsu could undeniably see that he no longer fit in that Lucy's life. The very thought had him wanting to punch something. Again. "No," he answered glumly. He ignored the curious look that Happy shot him. "This isn't a big enough of an entrance," he half-lied to his friend as he pushed a wider-than-normal grin onto his face. Natsu reached out and rubbed the top of the feline's head a little more roughly than he intended. "We're going to wait until the last day when the winner is announced, and then we can challenge the entire guild!"

Happy only stared at Natsu, his head tilted to one direction as if he was trying to decide whether or not the fire dragon slayer would appreciate his curious prodding. The tone was a little too happy, a little too excited, and all too forced to be considered normal for the dragon slayer. He had watched quietly at the miniscule changes in Natsu's demeanor since their disappointed arrival in Magnolia, but the exceed knew when to give his friend the space he rarely requested. His big eyes watched as Natsu turned his head back to stare into the arena before he could answer, and Happy watched as the dragon slayer's eyes remained on the bubbly celestial mage. The look of sadness and uncertainly that played in the twinkle of his green eyes was enough to make the exceed mentally sigh.

. . .

Lucy brought the delicate cup to her lips and unknowingly released a soft contented hum of appreciation as the taste of her mint tea washed over her tongue. The sharpness mellowed as she felt the liquid warm her body and seemed to magically melt away the tightness she held in her shoulders. Her eyes remained over the pages of her leather-bound book, her irises moving quickly over the black ink that nearly filled the once empty pages. Her head tilted off to the side as her eyes lingered on a word sandwiched within the clause of her last written sentence. It seemed off to her, and her brain rushed through her vocabulary as she tried to pull at the picture that was painted so clearly in her imagination.

"Um. Excuse me?"

The nearly masculine voice was soft as it cracked between the youthful soprano of childhood and the developing baritone of manhood. She turned to stare at the young man who barely squeaked out the words through his lips and had to control the laughter that wanted to spill from her lips. The poor boy was a beacon of glowing red, the dark shade filling the entirety of his face and neck. Lucy was sure his toes were probably as flushed with embarrassment. She smiled kindly at him while she nodded a small acknowledgement. "Yes?"

He stammered as he clutched a rolled magazine in one hand against his chest and rubbed the back of his neck. The young man shuffled his weight from foot to foot. "Uh. Uh- you're Lucy Heartfilia, right?"

She nodded as she placed her pen in the center of her journal and carefully closed the book to prevent his wandering eyes from accidentally falling on the filled pages. Lucy folded her arms on the edge of the table and absent-mindedly folded her arms flatly against the edge of the table as she leaned forward. "I am." She failed to notice as his eyes dipped into the open view of her plunging cleavage of her deviously low-cut crop-top.

"And of Fairy Tail?" he sniffled and he tried to subtly moved a finger under his nose to wipe away any blood that threatened to drip.

Lucy's smile faltered only slightly, though it never disappeared. If the young boy saw it, he didn't say. "Yes?" she answered carefully, her voice dropping in volume as a brief moment of sadness overwhelmed her, as it often did whenever someone brought up Fairy Tail.

"I- uh-," he shuffled his feet as he quickly peered over his shoulder.

Lucy followed his gaze to a group of four teenagers who were huddled together across the street. She smirked as every single boy straightened their backs as her eyes met theirs for the briefest of moments before each boy's heads snapped to turn. The rubbish that remained by the potted plant was apparently very interesting to two of the boys. She couldn't help the light laugh that escaped her and her eyes settled on the ever increasingly red glow that darkened the young boy's face. She didn't know red could be any redder.

He took a deep breath as his body snapped forward into a bow as the hand that held the rolled magazine shot out forward towards her. In his haste he failed to notice how close his hand reached her. "Please sign my magazine! I am an admirer of your work!"

She squeaked in surprise as she snapped back into her seat to avoid getting smacked in the face by a rolled up magazine in a tense fist. She couldn't contain the vibrant laugh at the horror that flashed over his face at what he had done and his already tight grip on the magazine tightened to wrinkle the soft papers even further. Lucy reached two hands out, the slender fingers of one hand lightly pressing onto his fingers to lower his fist while the other gently grabbed the top of the magazine to pull it out of his grasp. "I will be happy to give you an autograph," she offered with a kind and forgiving smile. "What is your name?"

He stuttered a string of apologies incoherently as she smoothed the magazine onto the top of the metal table and he failed to see the crestfallen expression that dipped her smile into a frown as her eyes moved over the cover of the magazine. Her eyes lingered over the scantily clad body on the cover and her own face heated red as realization hit. The boy reached over the table and his hands shook as he quickly flicked through the thin pages until his fingers settled on the page she knew it would – as it always did since her photograph graced the pages of Sorcerer Magazine and she was stopped for the occasional autograph. She silently chastised herself for forgetting and for believing that the young man before her was star-struck because she was a writer.

"Aito!" his voice cracked as he nearly shouted his answer. He bowed again, low and deep, as he tried to hide his red face from her. "Thank you so much! I loved your first spread the most! You're so pretty and talented!"

She pushed an empty smile onto her lips as he prattled on about her talent, and Lucy did her best not to scoff at the idea. Her hand moved swiftly as her hands moved to create the characters of his name. She wrote an empty message of appreciate for his support, a message she had practiced many times during the height of her popularity as an underwear model, before she signed her name. The deep disappointment and frustration of her penmanship dared to rip through the thin paper and she slammed the magazine shut with more force than she had anticipated. "There you go."

He failed to notice, as he had failed to notice the other apparent signs of her emotions. Pure happiness blinded his senses as he took the magazine into his hands, and he handled it like a delicate treasure as his hands clutched at the papers. "Thank you! Thank you!" he nearly screamed as he bowed.

Lucy watched as he spun around with amazing control and dashed across the street to meet with his group of friends. She grumbled as the boy motioned in her direction and opened the magazine to show off what she knew was her scantily clad photograph and the newly acquired signature. Wide and not so innocent eyes settled on her, and she sighed even louder as the round of high fives were exchanged. The young man received several rounds of slaps on his back, and he beamed with pride. Lucy stared down at the closed leather-bound journal and her eyes drifted to the small notepad that she had placed near her teacup. She willed herself to pick up either, told herself that it didn't matter, and that she had work to complete. Deadlines needed to be met, embarrassment be damned.

Her eyes glazed over as she reached out for the teacup, wrapped her hands around the delicate curves of porcelain, and brought it up to sit near her nose. She let the aroma surround her and her eyes focused on the horizon, watching as the fiery red and orange of sunset grew bright to announce the departure of the day. Her breathing slowed and her body filled with the warmth of her memories. It wasn't the first time that day, though the colours in the sky didn't seem to incite the same heaviness as the Games. Lucy told herself that it had everything to do with the warm cup of tea in her hands and absolutely nothing to do with how the colours reminded her of her best friend.

. . .

Natsu watched quietly from the rooftop, his eyes narrowing at the frown that shadowed Lucy's face as she stared out into the darkening skies. He had listened to the interaction, known enough that she had gained a certain level of popularity for the young man to trip over himself for an autograph. The dragon slayer found himself proud and curious, wondering what she had written to gain such a reaction from a stranger. But when her body tensed and her lips curled down into a frown as she signed the page of the magazine, Natsu felt the every present protectiveness for his partner bubbling to the surface. Despite his enhanced dragon slayer eyesight, he never got a chance to even get a peek of the magazine. The awestruck teenager's head was always in the way. It bordered on aggravating.

His eyes fell to the young man who was surrounded by his group of friends in front of the building on which he perched. Even then, with the youth just a few stories below him, he couldn't see the page that he showed his friends, their heads closely hurdled together over the magazine that was wide open in their tight-knit circle.

When the group started to move as one down the street, curiosity got the best of him and he leaped from rooftop to rooftop in pursuit – but not until he shot one last look at the celestial mage.

A block away from the café, the group of five teenagers turned a corner to walk down a quiet side road. Natsu quickly glanced at the setting sun as the lacrima lamps flickered alive while the skies glowed a fantastic hue of orange and red. He moved fast, leaping lightly over the buildings as he raced ahead of the group. His eyes scanned the streets below quickly before he dropped into the alleyway. Carefully, he tugged at the edge of his cloak's hood and tucked any stray strands of pink into the shadows as he leaned against the brick wall. The dragon slayer listened as their approaching footsteps grew louder.

"I still can't believe I got Lucy Heartfilia's signature!"

Natsu smirked at the cracking voice as the group neared the alleyway.

The boys laughed at their friend. "Yeah. She must have taken pity on your sorry zit-covered face."

"Whatever. I didn't see any of you talking to her."

The dragon slayer listened to the murmuring grumbles of excuses.

"She's such a hot babe!"

The words had Natsu instinctively turning his loose hands into fists.

"Yeah. Shame she stopped modeling. She's so hot. I heard she wanted to be a writer."

"That's so dumb, but what do you expect from a blonde."

His brain only tucked away the given information before his emotions took over his actions. The words had him fuming, but it was the carefree laughter shared by the group that had him breathing out a puff of smoke. He pushed off the wall and exited the alleyway with a sharp turn towards the group as they approached him. Natsu kept his head down while he walked, though his eyes zeroed in on the open magazine held by one of the boys. He nearly tripped over his feet at the sight of a woman who looked like Lucy on the cover, barely registering the heat that suddenly overwhelmed his senses, when the distance between him and the boys disappeared.

The boys fell silent as their group hit a wall of heat, and they separated with loud grumbles as the cloaked figure didn't make way for them. The heat forced the four who noticed to give the man a wider girth, but the boy who kept his nose in his magazine slammed straight into Natsu's shoulder. In an instant, the magazine was ripped from his loose grip. "Hey! That's mine!" he exclaimed as he spun on his feet to glare at the retreating figure.

Natsu kept walking, not bothering to glance back behind him as he rolled the magazine and tucked the hand that held it into the safety of his cloak. "Little boys shouldn't be reading things meant for men," he told them, making his voice low and gruff. His eyes rolled at the sound of quickening footsteps, and he couldn't help but sigh as he ducked away from the hand that tried to grasp his shoulder. Natsu really didn't want to deal some hormonal boy. All he wanted to do was get back to his hiding spot to look through the magazine. Clearly his eyes were playing tricks on him; it couldn't have been Lucy on the cover. Though, he still needed to make sure and that wasn't going to happen out in the open.

"Thief! Give it back!"

The dragon slayer groaned loudly as he spun around and towered over the young man. His face remained shadowed by his cloak's hood, though his eyes shined through the darkness. The teenage boy's friends silently lingered behind their frantic friend, and they instinctively took a step back as their skins prickled at the aura that surrounded his cloaked body.

"Give it back!" he screamed once more as he formed a fist and aimed it towards Natsu's hidden face.

Natsu rolled his eyes. Really? Was this kid an idiot? His calloused hand shot out from under his cloak, and his palm landed flatly against the boy's forehead as the teenager continued to flail uncoordinatedly in some attempt to land a punch. "I don't have the time to deal with this," he groaned impatiently and his other hand moved out from under his cloak, magazine in plain view.

The sight of the rolled bundle of pages had the boy stilling his flaying arms. "That's mine!"

"Look, kid. I'm keeping this for your sake," he retorted. The pause in the boy's flailing allowed Natsu to remove his palm from the boy's forehead, and he brought his pointer finger and thumb together. "Go home." At that, the dragon slayer sent his finger out to flick the boy's forehead.

The sheer force of Natsu's finger against his skull sent the teenager flying back into his friends, and the group toppled over one another like a bowling ball to pins. He winced slightly and released a small embarrassed and sheepish laugh. Whoops. In his mind, he could already hear Lucy's heavy sigh and see the shake of her head before. Had she been there, Natsu was sure he would have grabbed her hand and would have made a swift escape. The pinkette turned, leaving the pile of boys to untangle themselves from each other, and disappeared into the nearest alleyway. Looking up, he leaped from wall to wall until he reached the very top and moved lightly and swiftly over the rooftops until he reached his original perch.

He smiled with relief to see that Lucy hadn't left the café. Her chin was resting lazily on the palm of her hand, her arm propped on the metal table, while her other hand moved the pen steadily over a notepad that sat on top of the closed leather journal. She seemed lost in thought, a muted and unrecognizable expression on her face while she chewed on her lower lip.

Natsu leaned against the chimney as he sat on the ridge, his body blending into the shadows as the dark sky started to overwhelm the hues of sunset. He removed the hood of his cloak and ran his hand through his hair. His eyes remained on the celestial mage, and a comfortable warmth filled his body at the familiarity of it all. It was hard to stop the smile as he remembered the many nights he would sit on her bed as she wrote at her desk. There were so many times when she scolded him for his inability to be quiet, but there were moments when he would feign sleeping just so he could give her the peace she required to work. It was on those nights that he would watch her without her knowing. He always thought she glowed when she wrote.

Would he be able to do that again? His smile fell to a thin line. Probably not.

Pushing the sadness aside, Natsu's cloak shifted as he pulled the rolled magazine from under his cloak and unrolled it over his knee. His eyes widened at the sight of her, and he sniffled as he felt his nose start to run. The photograph of her on the cover was innocent enough, with her in a gauzy long sleeve white blouse. The blue detailing on the creamy white bra and panty set was easy to see through the wispy thin fabric. The pose highlighted the thinness of her waist, with her arms reached up with the back of her fingers lightly brushing against the sides of her face as they lifted her hair from her slender neck. He had seen her in much less on countless missions, but his eyes couldn't leave the expression on her face. Her lips were curled in the faintest of smiles and her eyes held a demure little expression that had his heart beating unsteadily against his chest.

The dragon slayer glanced from the cover to the real woman. His head continued on the motion, his brain unable to comprehend what his eyes were showing him. Natsu's fingers gently grazed over the edge of Lucy's face on the cover before he flipped through the wrinkled pages of the magazine. The red glow and warmth of his face only increased with each photograph of her. He stopped at the center of the publication, his fingers gripping the edges tightly as he stared down at the two pages that was filled with the image of her as a barely clothed centerfold. His eyes grew as they raked over the pages, and he quickly skimmed the curves of her autograph. "Aito, thank you for your support. May your life be filled with adventure and laughter. Lucy Heartfillia"

His mouth dropped as his eyes moved back to the photograph of Lucy, her body taking up the entirety of the two-page spread. There, on her hands and knees, she seemed to move towards him as she neared the edge of the bed. Her blonde hair cascaded over one shoulder. The dark red lace of her bralette and panty set hinted at the skin under the soft lace, and her skin glowed against the dark hue of the fabric. A coy yet lustful smile shined through her eyes as her bottom lip remained barely pinned under her teeth.

His imagination flashed the image of him firmly trapped under her as she crawled over him, her barely covered body moving slowly as her face neared his. Heat moved swiftly through him and flared out as his body spiraled out of his control. It was enough to melt the tar under the wooden cedar shingles of the roof, and the shakes moved under him as the tar began to drip loose. Natsu didn't bother trying to compensate in the shift of his balance, instead allowing gravity to take him with the loose cedar shakes as they tumbled into the alleyway. He landed with a loud and ungraceful thud into a stack of empty boxes, blood draining steadily from his nose. A particularly sharp corner was digging into his back, but his body refused to move as the image of her made its way from the haphazard ease of short-term memory to lodge itself with concrete into the more perverted corner of his long-term memory.

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 **I'm not going to lie. It really bothered me getting a pretty distasteful hate review that is just filled with unwarranted personal attacks. I toyed with the idea of blocking, but I'm not one to censor (no matter how much a person may deserve it). There was another note about Natsu getting hit by Loke, so I thought it'd be best to go ahead and respond to that since that was a fair concern.**

 **Loke was able to land two punches exactly: the first because Natsu was happy to see his guildmate and the second when he was taken by surprise by what Loke said. He was simply too preoccupied with his feelings (the first being joy and relief from the loneliness of his time away and the second being doubt over Lucy) to catch the hits. Yes, Natsu is physically powerful and emotionally strong when it comes to a battle against enemies, but against facing up to possibly hurting Lucy or not having her as a partner? He's going to expect an enemy to hit him; he'll be on the ready, defensive, and offensive from the very beginning. What he didn't expect was to get hit when seeing his nakama (well, aside from his usual sparring partners, but that's different) or being told that his return would make Lucy unhappy. In other words, those physical hits were akin to the emotional hits he was taking. I stand by my belief that no matter how strong a person may be, they can still get hit, especially when something throws them off their game.**

 **You certainly don't have to agree, and you can certainly stop reading if you really think I'm doing a disservice to the characters. However, this is my story. I'm claim it whole-heartedly, even if people aren't happy with it (which I suspect will happen relatively soon considering what I'll be revealing near the end). I'm not going to stop writing just because I'm getting bullied by a coward who chooses to cut down strangers over the internet. (Because seriously, how pathetically sad do you have to be to think that's doing anyone a service?)**


	6. Her Decision

**[Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Fairy Tail world, which is trademarked by Hiro Mashima.]**

 **The next chapter will be released within 24 to 48 hours. These two chapters in particular were rewritten together. .M.**

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"How often have I lain beneath rain on a strange roof, thinking of home."

\- William Faulkner _[As I Lay Dying]_ -

* * *

 **.06. Her Decision**

 _[Grand Magic Games: Day 2]_

"The second day of the games is underway, and the crowd is ready for the competitors to make their appearance!"

"Today's challenge will require agility, quick thinking, and fast feet. The Flight Arena is ready. Platforms are staggered above the arena, and our competitors must make their way from the start to the finish within the time limit. They'll need to be careful, however, as landing on a platform may trigger a random battle. In addition, the spacing between platforms can be deceiving, especially among the moving ones."

"Hopefully none of our competitors have issues with motion sickness. That could make for a very messy display for spectators below."

"That should not be a problem this year. We don't have any dragon slayers participating this year."

"That was just one of many memorable moments from last year's games. I think many were surprised and found the whole thing hilarious."

"Yes, but it was Fairy Tail's own Natsu Dragneel's speech during the Chariot challenge that many still discuss. It was possibly one of the most rousing moments in Grand Magic Games history. It truly touched everyone in the crowd."

"How can one forget that speech? It hammered home that a guild is only as strong as the bond among nakama."

. . .

"Damn. They're closed."

Her legs tugged forward while everything above was pulled gently to a stop. Lucy's mindless train of thought was pulled to a halt at the sudden loss of momentum. It was the tender sound of his voice that had her head turning slowly. Brown eyes met red as she stared up at the man who easily towered over her. She felt the arm around the narrow span of her waist flex and the attached hand that sat loosely on her hip tug at her body, and she was pulled closer into his side. Her lips curled up into a small apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. You were saying?"

He stared down at her silently as he tried to read her. The fingers that lay on her hip applied the smallest amount of affectionate pressure. "I wasn't," he told her. His arm snaked away from its position on her back, and the hand on her hip travelled slowly along her waist to the small of her back until he could grasp her hand between them. "What's on your mind?"

Lucy turned her head away from the kindness in his eyes, finding it difficult to keep eye contact as if he could read her secrets as long as he stared into hers long enough. The week was proving to be more than she thought she could handle. As the opening ceremony of the games drew near, she had woken up every morning with a renewed sense of determination. She wasn't going to mope or dwell on something she couldn't change, she kept telling herself. Yet… As the games opened and she cheered as best as she could from the comforts of the press box, her heart ached and memories washed over her so easily. She returned to her apartment each night emotionally drained and exhausted from the internal battle between her brain and her heart. While intellect and emotion waged a battle each day, her body felt the consequences for the whole war. It was only the second day and already she was ready to crawl into her bed and sleep for a week.

That morning's viewing of the games proved to be the worst as she watched the mages race against time and each other over floating platforms. Her traitorous brain instantly had her body chuckling at the memory of the dragon slayers on chariots. From there, her brain had moved easily to the recollection of Natsu as he fought against his motion sickness to cross the finish line, the speech he had given before crossing the finish line almost shouting in her ear.

" _Seven years. All that time, they were waiting for us… No matter how painful it is, no matter how sad. Even if people made fun of them. They held on… They held on. They protected the guild. For their friends. And now, we're going to show everyone the proof… that Fairy Tail's been walking on all this time! So, keep goin'!"_

Her heart had pretty much plunged into the hellish pits of her churning stomach as emotion overwhelmed her almost instantly. The overzealous pyromaniac really loved Fairy Tail, and that was just one moment like many when he had voiced such admiration.

Then the doubts had started its usual attacks.

Fairy Tail had waited for their comrades for seven years. She couldn't have waited for Natsu for a year?

" _Happy and I will go on a journey while training. We'll be back in a year or so. So take care of everybody, alright! See ya, Lucy! Natsu & Happy"_

The celestial mage had memorized the note, the words committed to heart after days, no months, of staring at the poorly scribbled letters. It was all he had left her, all that she had of him that was tangible. She really couldn't have waited for a year? Her brain had instantly told her that she really couldn't – she had bills to pay and a life to live, a life that shouldn't have involved waiting – while her heart had told her otherwise.

It was then that her heart told her she should have at least returned to Magnolia briefly for his return. Surely he wouldn't know of Fairy Tail's disbandment, and the poor dragon slayer was going to be reeling from the surprise. The very thought had her wanting to run out of that press box to hop on the next train to Magnolia. When her brain had rebutted with "And what if he didn't show up?" because even his letter hinted at the possibility of a longer separation, her heart had wailed with utter misery. Because the very idea of returning to Magnolia with hope dangling dangerously over the precipice of despair only to lose all strength because he didn't return like he said he would, it would have crushed her. She was sure her heart would have died and she didn't trust herself to have the energy or the will to pick up the pieces again. It was the only point on which heart and brain had actually agreed.

Her free hand moved to rest over her heart, her palms rubbing lightly into the skin as she tried to massage the painful memory and thoughts away. "Nothing," she managed softly, guilt making her muscles tense. Her eyes glanced around, and she realized they had stopped in front of her favourite confection shops. She took note of the decorative window, the edges and corners painted with elaborate gold flourishes. The pink and white canvas overhang swayed a little with the light evening breeze. Her body moved on muscle memory alone, and she filled her lungs with the sweet aroma that surrounded the quaint little shop. She hummed with contentment, partially from the scent that surrounded her and mostly from the reprieve it gave her from her unpleasant thoughts.

Shirou remained quiet as he watched her face. He had noticed the slight furrow of her brows and the sudden contraction of her muscles by her neck as her body went rigid. Then, like it never happened, her body relaxed as he watched her lungs fill with the air around them. He couldn't help but laugh. The euphoric look on her face was enough to make him want to kiss her senseless, but he didn't even have a chance to act on it as she took a small step forward towards the large window. He felt her grip on his hand loosen, but he laced their fingers together without her noticing.

She closed the distance between her and the shop and peered deep into the store, leaning at the waist as she almost pressed her face against the cold glass. Her eyes swept through the dark interior as she tried to make out the unlit wares. A short list of sweets started in her mind, and she reminded herself to make the time to stop after she was done with the fourth day of watching the games. A jar filled with pink gumballs caught her attention, and her disloyal brain flashed an image of his face, complete with his signature unabashed wide toothy grin. She felt that usual pang in her heart whenever she thought of him. She stared silently at the gumballs, torn between hating them or wanting to smash her head through the window to make her head stop with the sneak attacks of memories. Honestly, it was just too much. Without thinking, she tried to remember, almost desperately, if his hair was more muted or brighter than that shade of pink. It was hard to tell with the store shrouded in darkness. "I can't remember," she unintentionally whispered, a wave of sadness in her tone as she realized she really couldn't.

He caught it – saw the shift as peace made way to the ever present sadness she carried with her – and couldn't stop himself from asking. "Remember what?"

She blinked as she straightened and blinked up at him. "What?" Lucy shook her head as she realized her mistake and forced a light laugh in hopes he wouldn't press her for an answer. "Sorry. I'm just spacing out and thinking of a story," she lied, unable to bring herself to meet his gaze again.

Shirou regarded her for a moment, watching as her eyes fell onto their joined hands as if she was seeing it for the first time. He gently squeezed their entwined fingers and smiled kindly at her despite how she never brought her eyes back up to his face. "How long have we been dating now, Lucy?"

"Four months."

"Four months," he agreed. "Do you remember how many times you rejected me before you agreed?" He couldn't help but laugh at the light blush that dusted her cheeks as she shook her head. "Thirteen."

"Oy! Not that many!" her head snapped back to stare at him as she disagreed, her cheeks puffed out with a huff.

The laugh he released was hearty as he ran his free hand through his hair. "Yes. That many. I know because I counted," he replied teasingly as he winked at her. He laughed again when she bit her lower lip and turned her attention back to the sweets store. "After the first rejection, when you told me you couldn't go out with someone you barely knew, I realized you would never agree if we weren't friends and I became determined to be your friend. Slowly, we did become friends." He brought their joint hands towards her and poked her in the side lovingly. "Painfully slow, by the way," he teased. His smile grew as she puffed out her cheeks again. "Every time I thought I had convinced you I was serious about my intentions, you rejected me. I was really starting to lose hope and think there was something wrong with me."

Lucy lightly kicked the toe of her boot with the other, never once looking up. "I never meant to be difficult," she told him, her voice remorseful and almost too quiet to hear.

Shirou placed a finger under her chin and he guided her chin up until her eyes met his gentle gaze. "You weren't difficult, Lucy. Frustrating at times, but not difficult. You were and are worth the effort," his tone was soft as his thumb stroked a thin gentle line along her cheek. "In those six months when we were getting to know each other? They were fun. It only made me more determined to show you that I was worth your time. But, it also made me realize that you were holding yourself back." He paused, careful with his words as he pressed forward. "I knew about Fairy Tail; I knew as much as everyone. But, you never told me what had happened to you, and I respected you and our friendship, and now our relationship, enough to never press you about it." He smiled gently at her, tilting his head slightly as he moved the hand under her chin to cup the side of her face. His fingers were long and reached into the strands of her blond hair. "I don't know what it was that finally made you agree, but I am forever thankful for it. You've brought so much light into my life, and I am willing to wait until you're able to trust me completely so that I can do the same for you."

Lucy couldn't stop her eyes from watering as her eyes never left the red of his irises. "Shirou," she started but stopped when she realized there was nothing she could say.

"I am willing to wait," he repeated, "but I'm asking you… Please. Don't make me wait too long." His thumb gently drew a line along the corner of her bottom lip, and his eyes drifted briefly to the plump lips that parted as she took a sharp inhalation at his words. His eyes moved back to look into the crystal clear brown irises that shimmered with unshed tears. "I love you," he told her softly. He allowed for a breath of a pause, and when he didn't hear her respond, he pressed his lips to hers.

Lucy tensed at the sensation of his lips briefly, her mind focused on the words that he left between them. It wasn't the first time he had confessed his love – it was exactly the fourth time he had uttered those three words – and each time he had kissed her before she could even fathom a response. She knew why he did so, knew that he didn't want to hear the lame attempt to get over the heavy declaration between them or worse. Lucy was forever thankful for it, and her body shook lightly at the guilt that overwhelmed her. He was so nice. So patient. He bantered with her. He was calm, strong, and respectful. And there she was, holding herself back for reasons she couldn't even really understand – thinking of a home that hadn't existed for almost a year, thinking of people who had moved on with their lives, and thinking of the dragon slayer who had left because he needed to find some semblance of reason to the madness of what he had lost.

She removed her hand from his, and moved both hands over the span of his chest to entwine into his hair. They prickled at her skin, and she wished the strands were just a little softer. Lucy pulled him closer to her, felt his arms wrap tightly around her thin waist and grab at the fabric of her dress. When his tongue brushed along the edge of her teeth and lips, she sighed and stepped closer to him. She closed her eyes finally, allowing the water in her eyes to trail along the curve of her face, and tasted the saltiness of her tears mingle with their lips. The heat from his body wasn't nearly as warm as she wanted it to be, especially with the cool night breeze dancing along her skin, but she told herself it didn't matter. Because he was here. With her. Lucy told herself that it would be enough. She told herself that she would make it enough.


	7. His Decision

**[Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Fairy Tail world, which is trademarked by Hiro Mashima.]**

 **Paranoia had me changing the rating. Nothing too graphic, but people can be so odd. Also, we're nearing the end. .M.**

* * *

"I let it go. It's like swimming against the current. It exhausts you. After a while, whoever you are, you just have to let it go, and the river brings you home."

– Joanne Harris _[Five Quarters of the Orange]_ –

* * *

 **.07. His Decision**

 _[Grand Magic Games: Day 3]_

"If you are just joining us, today's challenge is the Naval Battle. If our viewers don't remember the Naval Battle from last year's games, the participants enter the water sphere and must knock one another outside of the sphere. Points are awarded based on the order of elimination. Once there are two remaining competitors, a five-minute countdown will commence. Should one of the participants fall out of the sphere during this time, he or she will automatically receive last place and will not gain any points for their guild."

"We currently have four competitors left in the sphere, Gnome Hunters being the last guild to have been eliminated from the sphere. Many will recall last year's Navel Battle, where Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail was barely able to withstand the brutal onslaught by Sabertooth's Minerva Orland."

"Ah. Yes. That was quite the savage beating on Ms. Heartfilia. Medics are standing at the ready should we have another repeat of– What?! Did you see that folks?! Chrisack of Dullahanhead has taken out Scarmiglione's Shibui with a solid kick! The sphere is rippling! That was entirely unexpected! Shibui appeared to have had the upperhand, but Chrisack survived the attack!"

"Dullahanhead really has taken an astounding lead just after crushing their competition in the preliminary games and first day of the x792 games! Will today be just as monumental for them?"

"I am truly impressed by their show of power. Chrisack is proving himself to be quite the capable mage, earning him quite the reputation among the competitors."

"They are shaping out to be this year's hot-hot-hot favourite, even so early in the games. It is truly inspiring!"

. . .

Natsu listened to the steady rhythm of his sandals against the cold hard cobblestone street. The streets were empty as the last chime of midnight run over the slumbering city. He rolled his head over his shoulders as boredom had him yawning loudly. His calloused hands moved from the shadows of his cloak, and he pulled at the edge of his hood while tucking the long strands of his pink hair securely under the fabric. He grumbled as the tips of his hair tickled his neck. He needed a haircut, the voice in his head told him. "I need a whole lot of things," he retorted to his internal voice.

The dragon slayer scowled as the words left his lips. There he was doing it again – talking to himself aloud – and he had to wonder if he was standing on the brink of being weird. Apparently, just being near Lucy was enough to turn him into a certifiable weirdo. There was little solace in the back-and-forth that carried in the whispers of his mind, though it did nothing to stop him from dwelling on the doubts that had him restless at nights. The magazine he had procured days before certainly did nothing to ease his mental anguish. If nothing else, his mind seemed unwilling to do much of anything but think of the blonde celestial mage on the first night of the games.

Lucy sending out her whip with a snap. Lucy dancing while wearing a slim red gown. Lucy sleeping under that garishly pink duvet of hers. Lucy puffing out her cheeks at Happy and his teasing. Lucy tucking the loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear. Lucy wrapping his scarf around his neck. Lucy smiling at him with happy tears in her eyes. Lucy reaching out to take his offered hand. His brain seemed perfectly content to play an endless reel of Lucy memories despite how the rest of his body wanted his brain to just shut up.

It was enough to drive any normal man insane.

His traitorous imagination had run rampant that night with vivid images of her. What had started out innocently as recollections of their adventures quickly descended into some of the most graphic images of her – though he did rather enjoy the one with her dressed in the dark red lacy number while she whipped around her electrifying river of stars with the simple flick of her wrist. He had tossed and turned in his mat, careful to keep his grunts of annoyance muted to avoid waking the sleeping exceed by his side. But, it was the memory of their death-defying tumble in the bell that finally had him quietly kicking his blanket off his body as he suddenly felt hot under the collar, and he finally accepted that his brain wasn't going to allow him to sleep. He had disappeared into the forest to train, finding some reprieve in splitting gigantic boulders by a waterfall several kilometers away from their camp.

When he had wandered back into the clearing, the golden hour of sunrise had just finished. Natsu was flushed from the exertion and had been ready to collapse into the blissful arms of sleep – had he not inadvertently woken up Happy as he tossed the blanket over his head. With the exceed awake and already bumbling with energy, the dragon slayer had been forced to push aside his exhaustion and greet the second day of the games.

The day was a blurry haze, and Natsu wasn't quite certain how he managed it. He briefly recalled sitting on the stone surface of their perch high above the games, the stone staff's shadow moving with the sun. They watched the competitions with mild fascination, wondering how any of the guilds involved could ever believe they rivaled Fairy Tail. The running commentary between himself and his exceed friend was entertaining enough to keep him from falling asleep on the spot, but in general Natsu found the entire day disappointing. The games were lacking, not because the guilds were incapable of strength. The competitors just had no heart, and their magic reflected that lack of passion. It showed in their stances, in their strategy, and in their punches. They lacked what Fairy Tail carried in their veins, and it made the games dismally boring.

When he and Happy had finally returned to camp after the second day of games ended and after they had filled their bellies with charred pork and raw fish, Natsu had slipped into his mat with every expectation that sleep would claim him quickly. Clearly, he had been foolish. Once Happy was contentedly purring in his sleep with soft mumbles of Charle accepting his gift, the dragon slayer had slipped away in the dead of the night in search of the blonde.

On the second night of the games, from the safety of the rooftops, Natsu had followed her when she exited her apartment to meet Shirou at her door, had followed them to the dimly lit and intimate bistro where the white haired man opened the door for her, and had followed them until they stopped in front of a closed confections shop.

He had watched as her body barely trembled and her face had momentary flashes of emotion that had his own heart wondering. He had listened as Shirou spoke to her with a gentleness in his voice, and Natsu found himself thinking, with hesitant acceptance, that the man didn't seem to have anything but real affections for his partner. The man clearly cared for the celestial mage. He couldn't quite pull at the reason, but the dragon slayer knew that he didn't like Shirou for that alone. When he heard those words again – _I love you_ – on the evening breeze, Natsu had been sure that the steady thrumming in his heart stopped instantly. The pinkette waited for her response, but when Shirou only leaned in to capture her lips, his eyes narrowed at the large hands that gripped at the fabric of her dress like it was a lifeline. When her hands traveled over his chest with care to disappear into the styled white strands of his hair, Natsu decided that he had had enough and had leapt away without a second glance behind him.

It had been too much. He was sure he had caught the drifting taste of her tears on the breeze, but Natsu couldn't stop until he reached the slumbering campsite. He tossed and turned in his mat, feeling no comfort in the hard ground under the thin bedding while flashes of incoherent dreams had him waking at different stages in the dead of morning.

He woke up with the ever present dull ache in his chest and a headache, and Natsu didn't bother to watch most of the third day's challenges –telling himself that he didn't need to deal with the motion sickness – and chose instead to steal glances at the celestial mage. He felt the familiar soreness over his heart and he wondered if Lucy loved the man who clung to her so tightly. Would she treat him differently now that she had found someone else? Could he even call her his partner now? It didn't feel right not being near her now that he was back, and he couldn't quite answer why he continued to keep his distance.

For the moment, despite his own confusion, it was enough to see her. She had watched from her spot in the press box, happily chatting away with Jason every so often. He had smiled as his mind brought her image to the forefront, her hair bouncing and glinting with the shine of the high sun. There had been moments when she wasn't cheering or talking to the other reporters. From his high perch, the dragon slayer had thought she looked wistful and deep in her thoughts, her chin propped on the palm of her hand as her elbow rested on the railing. He had wondered if she had noticed the lack of spirit and had wondered if she too thought of their family of friends. It was a far-away look, one that eased the ache in his heart just enough.

Natsu glanced up at the night sky as he pulled himself out of his memories, his eyes focusing on the few stars that fought against the soft glow of the lacrima lights that lit the abandoned street, and sighed. It was the third night of the games, and for hours he wandered around the city, opting to remain on the streets instead of leaping over the rooftops as he had done for several nights. His feet shuffled slightly as his body finally felt heavy. "Probably best to head back to camp," he mumbled to himself as he turned the corner.

His eyes caught the sight of a group of five mages who lingered outside of a closing bar. They were boisterous as a number of them blew a puff of smoke into the warm air around them. Natsu straightened though he dipped his chin to keep his face hidden in the shadow of his cloak. His eyes focused on the emblem on a bare arm. Hydra Skeleton. His memory moved quickly, realizing they were one of the guilds that remained near the middle of the rankings. Their voices carried easily down the empty streets, and the dragon slayer didn't need to extend much effort to listen to their conversation.

"Shit. The master is really pissed."

"We're gonna have to do something drastic to get ahead."

"Dem other guilds ain't worth shit, but we ain't doin' what we supposed to be doin'."

"That be hard. Game officials be watching for anything off after what Raven Tail pulled last year."

"Ain't no time to be chick'n. We gotta wipe dem other guilds off the rankin'."

"Don't know man."

"I'm just glad the other guilds aren't here."

"Wa'cha sayin'? Lemme tell ya's. Mermaid Heel's full o' weak bitches. Blue Pegasus' a bunch o' prissy man whores. Lamia Scale's o' weird shits. Sabertooth's had some bite, but dem walking pretty boy dragon slayer 'came guild master and quality control went straight the shitter."

There was a round of laughter that filled the still air. Exhaustion made way to irritation as Natsu's hands balled up into fists, and he felt the familiar swirl of warmth around his body. His steps were heavier as he took steady strides towards the group.

"Whatever, man. I'm just glad we don't have to deal with Fairy Tail."

"What 'bout dem? Dem won the games last year outta luck, that it. Only shitty thing 'bout dem not being 'round is ain't no eye candy no more."

"Fuck. Yes. Fairy Tail's got the best spank material."

"Erza, man."

"Fuck no. Mira."

"Two words: Lucy Heartfilia."

"Shit. Yes."

"Dem tits were the best."

"I wouldn't mind tearing that ass up."

"I bet that mouth of hers is talented."

"With a body like that, money's on her being able to take on at least three of us."

Natsu's fists tightened. His eyes narrowed as he watched one of the men placed a palm flat on the air in front of him and thrust his hips lewdly in front of him. The lecherous laughter had Natsu's anger bubbling easily, his fingers sparking with tiny flames that craved tinder and his cloak wafting on the warm air of his magic. The voice in his head growled at the very notion of their filthy and unworthy hands on any of the women, but it roared with near uncontrollable rage at the idea that they'd dare imagine _his_ partner in such a way. Unworthy sorry excuses for men who dared to think of her as nothing more than an object for their own pleasure. He released a low and audible growl as a need to protect Lucy pumped energy into his veins. His steps slowed as the bar door opened and a solitary waitress exited.

Her eyes widened briefly at seeing the group of mages near the door. She nodded an acknowledgement, her lips tight as it formed a thin line, before she quickly turned to lock the door behind her. Her arms tightened around her body as she rushed her movements, her hands shaking slightly as she inserted the key to lock the door.

The men shared a quick look among them, and those smoking threw the ends of their tobacco sticks to the ground and extinguished the heat with the tips of their shoes. Their faces lit up with interest, their lips turning up into sneers slowly. A few looked around while they quietly tightened ranks to surround her.

"Yo, beautiful. Glad you're able to join us now."

Natsu quickened his steps, watching as the woman's jaw clenched and her body tensed.

"Night," she mumbled as she turned and kept her gaze down. The woman made a move along the wall to escape only to find her path blocked as two of the men stepped in front of her. "Excuse me."

"Hey. Hey. Where you goin'?"

"Yeah. Come on out with us. Night's still young."

"No, thank you." She yelped as a hand roughly gripped her arm.

"Now, now. You shouldn't be so rude. We just want to get to know you better."

Panic quickly overtook the frightened expression on her face, and she tried to twist her arm away. "Let me go!"

The dragon slayer's sights focused on the mage, the lewd pantomimer whose hand gripped her arm tightly. The man was the tallest of the group, his body bulging with muscles and a thick neck that barely seemed to overwhelm the small head that sat upon it. Natsu's feet moved in a steady and strong walk as he neared, and he barely contained the long growl of disgust at the group. He reached the group just as they were able to close ranks even more around the woman, bumping roughly into several shoulders until he reached the giant mage in the center of their circle. There was a beat of silence as the mages stared at him. Careful to keep his head covered by the hood of his cloak, he lifted his chin enough so that she could see his eyes. "You'll be okay," he told her kindly.

She whimpered as she tried to move but the grip on her arm only tightened, fingernails digging into her skin.

"She ain't goin' nowhere." His voice roused the rest of the group from their stunned silence and their bodies shifted to close around Natsu. The pantomimer released the woman into another man's hold and he turned to face Natsu.

His eyes swept from side to side as his head turned just enough to assess their positions. Natsu sensed the shift in the air as the giant pantomimer's offending hand made a move to grip his shoulder. The pinkette snickered as he allowed it, a dark smile hidden in the shadow of his cloak. The grip on his shoulder tightened, Natsu couldn't help but think the attempt to intimidate as cute.

"Ain't polite to interrupt. You could have your turn after we're done."

"Don't you know who you're messin' with?"

"Maybe we should teach him a lesson?"

Natsu ignored the chatter. His head tilted to the side just enough so he could peer up at the giant over the edge of his cloak's hood. He assessed the man's weakness – of which there were many and certainly not limited to the thin weak legs that held the monstrosity of an upper body, clearly the man had skipped leg day – with a quick scan through narrow angry eyes. "Funny you'd say that," Natsu retorted calmly, anger dangerously simmering in his tone. "Cause from my point of view, you need a lesson on how to treat a woman and a lesson on shutting your mouth." He watched as the man's eye twitched and his nostrils flared, and Natsu was ready before the first wave of magic flared into the giant pantomimer's body.

The giant growled, his grip tightening upon Natsu's shoulder. His free arm lifted and his knuckles cracked as each finger curled into his palm to form a tight fist. He threw the fist at Natsu's head while the hand on the dragon slayer's shoulder attempted to pull the man's face to meet the punch.

Natsu's body didn't move, his feet creating cracks into the cobblestones as his magic kept him rooted to the ground and a small crater formed immediately around his feet. His hand flew up to catch the fist before it could even breech the outer edge of his personal space, and he tilted his head to the side briefly to study it. "You call that a punch?" he asked disappointedly, his hand around the giant's fist closing slowly to tighten its hold. The sound of breaking bones echoed against the buildings that lined the empty streets before the resounding scream took over. "Fuck. Ice princess' bitch slap was faster and actually hurt," he mused. There was a momentary pause. "But, don't tell him that. I don't need ice prick getting a fucking big head."

His hand tightened even more, and his ears twitched with satisfaction at the whimper that came from the man. The giant fell to his knees as he tried to pull his broken fist from Natsu's tight grip. The pinkette flashed a toothy grin that shined through the shadows of his cloak, and the mage shivered as a dark aura overwhelmed him. "Now. This is what you call a punch," and before anyone could comprehend what he said, Natsu let his fist fly straight into the man's face.

The remaining four Hydra Skeleton mages watched with wide eyes as their fellow guild member's head snapped back and his body would have followed had the dragon slayer not held him in place by the fist in his hand. The giant, the strongest of their group, was easily knocked out with a single punch.

Overwhelmed by shock, the man who held the woman's arms had loosened his hold. Natsu turned his attention to the woman who stared at the giant by Natsu's feet. "You should leave," he told her gently.

She managed a shaky nod as his voice snapped her out of her own sense of shock, and she slid along the wall past the mage that held her captive. "Th- thank you," she stuttered before she broke out into a sprint.

Natsu watched as she disappeared into the dark, the sounds of her frightened feet carrying back to his sensitive ears. When she was well out of his senses, he turned his attention back to the men who continued to gape at him. He growled, and allowed all the confusing emotions that kept him awake and restless to fuel his disgust for the men around him. "It really fucking sucks to be you," he told them as he dropped the crushed fist of the unconscious mage. "I've been in a really bad mood lately, and I feel like beating down a few jackasses. So," he paused and brought a fist into an open palm to crack his knuckles, "who's next?"

. . .

Natsu pulled the edge of his hood back and let the warm summer breeze to comb through his hair. He stared up at Lucy's bedroom, watching as the hem of her pink curtains swayed over the stone sill. The ever present aroma of honey and vanilla permeated through the summer air. He felt its effects almost immediately, his body easing as muscles began to relax and his mind quieting to a soft contented hum of easy thoughts.

Another deep breath allowed her scent to fill his lungs, and he nearly coughed as his senses caught the musk that mingled with hers. He growled with frustration. Shirou. Yet again, the man was with her. Tension tightened his muscles instantly, and Natsu's body flared with a desire to jump into her apartment, toss the man out the window, and curl up in _his_ bed with _his_ partner. Impatience and frustration had his body eager to move, though his heart kept him rooted to the street.

He brought his hands together to crack knuckles before he prepared to do just that - damn whatever weird thing was happening to his chest - when he looked at the shallow scratches on his hands. The scratches didn't even break skin and he knew they would disappear soon enough. Yet, it was enough to have the pinkette thinking back to the short scuffle. It didn't even qualify as a fight. One second, Natsu had just let his magic flare and it seemed like in a blink of an eye, he was surrounded by unconscious bodies without having had to dodge even one attack because none made it close enough to touch him.

He gently brought a hand to his bandaged arm and his fingers stroked the linen fibers in a swirling pattern. There was a flash of memory, and his heart felt heavy. The thumping of his heart slowed as he thought of Igneel, and the overwhelming sadness, though mellowed with time, made it ache. He had been too late to be of any use to his dragon father; he had lingered too long with Mard Geer and that had cost him. He had been too late, just as he had been too late to save Lucy's future self.

His fingers gripped at the bandaged arm tightly. Lucy. He had been too late to save someone precious to him, his had been reaction too slow and she had paid the price. Natsu growled at himself and he willed himself to stop punishing himself for the mistakes of his past. The world was always going to be surrounded by idiots like the five Hydra Skeleton mages. The world was also full of worse – the likes of Tartaros. Of Zeref. He had left to be stronger, and he had returned as just that. Stronger. Better. To protect those precious to him. The realization hit him square into the chest, his heart thumping with renewed strength – Igneel had been the catalyst, but Lucy had been the reason.

She had been the reason, and she had been enough to push him through the solitude of his training and the grief of his loss.

As he stared up at the window, a wave of determination overwhelmed him. He had become stronger to protect those precious to him from harm. It didn't matter if Lucy didn't believe he fit into her life because he would always be there to protect her. It didn't matter if he didn't fit into this new life because this Lucy was still Lucy. _His_ Lucy. Whatever role Shirou now played in her life, it paled in comparison to his role.

" _What you should be asking yourself, Natsu, is who are you?"_

He lingered briefly, as the question repeated itself in his mind. His eyes focused on the curtain, watching it sway on the breeze, as his heart answered the question. He was Natsu. The answer was enough, and something deep within him knew it to be true. The dragon slayer took in another breath and took considerable effort to separate Lucy's scent from Shirou's. Sweetness surrounded him, and with the scent of her in his lungs, he dashed off to return to his camp.

He would sleep, he told himself, and the day would begin anew. In two days' time, he would make his entrance and she would be there to welcome him home. When it was time, Natsu knew she would join him. Because they were Natsu and Lucy. That was enough. It was always enough and it would always be enough.


End file.
